Fishery Officer

**Job Title**:Fishery Officer

**Role type**: Permanent, Full Time

**Location**: Hamilton

**Compliance Services salary range**: $72,795 to $85,652 depending on skills and experience

**Korero mo te Turanga - About the Role**

The working life of a Fishery Officer is varied and interesting enforcement role. On any given day you may find yourself patrolling the beaches and boat ramps, interacting with the public, inspecting recreational and/or commercial fishing vessels, preparing a file for prosecution, taking part in a surveillance operation, gathering intelligence on fisheries offending, and/or analysing fisheries information. Developing and maintaining relationships with tangata whenua and stakeholder groups who use the fisheries resource is also an important aspect of this role. We are looking for someone with a passion for our marine environment and ensuring it is sustainably utilised and protected for future generations.

**This role is challenging and varied, and this is what we expect from our frontline staff**:

- This is not an 8am-5pm officed based role. We expect our staff to target risk and use their initiative to get out into the field, detect offending and take those responsible to task
- Work under the direction of your District Manager and with experience develop your own work plans and strategies dealing with the issues and priorities in our area
- Be responsible for the education, monitoring and inspection activities across the Fisheries sector
- Interpretate and enforce all relevant fisheries legislation within the fisheries compliance environment
- Detect, investigate, and take action against breaches of Fisheries legislation
- Collate, interpret, and monitor fishing related information and electronic data
- Effectively communicate and develop professional working relationships at all levels of the community and the fishing industry

If successfully shortlisted, you will need to attend an all-day assessment centre in **Tauranga on Saturday 1**st** March 2025.**

If shortlisted for a final interview, you will also need to be able to attend this in person, in **Hamilton on either Thursday 6**th** or Friday 7**th** March 2025.**

**Mo to matou Ropu** - About the Team**

You will be joining the Hamilton team, an integral part of the Waikato / Tauranga / Coromandel district and part of the North Region. The Hamilton team is based out of the MPI office in Ruakura and works alongside teams in Whitianga and Tauranga. We are mostly fishery officers, with support staff, and a district manager. The team comes from a variety of backgrounds and are generally people who enjoy time in the outdoors, on the water, engaging with people, and problem solving. We are a driven and passionate team who work hard but like to have fun together and celebrate success.

**Mo te takiwa** - About the district**

The Waikato communities have a strong connection to the sea and are passionate about the sustainable use of seafood. The office is responsible for compliance monitoring from Mokau in the South to Port Waikato in the North and across to the Firth of Thames on the East Coast.

The Waikato River is a significant part of New Zealand's history and for generations provided fisheries that sustained tangata whenua, their way of life, and their ability to meet values of manaakitanga (Hospitality) while exercising kaitiakitananga responsibilities that ensured the sustainability of the resource. The Hamilton team also work together with Waikato-Tainui on compliance activities on the river.

**Mou - About You**

Fishery Officers will have an interest in the marine environment and some knowledge of how the New Zealand Fisheries framework system works. This is an opportunity to combine problem solving with sustainability. You may have studied some Marine Biology, enjoy fishing or diving, trace a special relationship to the moana through generations, have an operational background, have worked in enforcement, or maybe it's something else that inspires you to this role.

You will:

- Be an achiever in both an individual and team context
- Be able to work unsociable hours (weekends and during the night) when required and in differing environments. This also includes being on call to attend to complaints from the public
- The ability to communicate with diverse cultures
- Be able to operate in confrontational situations
- Have the ability, when necessary, to travel away overnight, at times at short notice
- Be available for domestic and international Fishery patrol deployments on Navy, Airforce, or other government assets
- Have analytical experience and an enquiring mind-set
- Have an understanding of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its importance in a NZ Fisheries context
- Have knowledge and interest in the marine environment and the NZ Fisheries framework
- Be competent in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of programme
- Have passion, motivation and drive for the role

**Mo te Manatu Ahu Matua - About MPI**

We're passio