Zak Olsen is a former commercial skipper turned Quota and Supply Systems/Harvest Planner for Moana New Zealand.
You know Seafood NZ is a bit short on content when they hand the pen of to a semi-retired, washed up, old-at-heart, young fisher [editor’s note: we’re not short Zak, we just know you’re awesome]. But I’ve recently had a bit of a change of scenery and, for the time being, you can find me behind a desk in sunny Mount Wellington in Tāmaki Makaurau, where I look after the day-to-day of Moana New Zealand’s inshore fleet.
My name is Zak Olsen. I have been fishing for a living since I was 16 and I’m now 33. I was lucky enough to take part in an episode of Country Calendar recently, so you might have seen me talking about why I love the fishing industry and a few of the challenges facing us.
I love fishing—it’s the old salt in my veins story—but there’s been a bit of an adjustment to the system. I traded in my autopilot and chart plotter for spread sheets and landing reports, but I’m loving the work. It’s a small tight-knit team and we all work together to get it done.
My experience at sea has been serving me well in the new role and I like to think I can relate to our fishers because I’ve walked in their gumboots. It’s no secret that times are tough currently: as an industry, everyone is tightening their belts, the North Island has had a big shake up with the exit of Sanford from inshore fishing and Moana taking on their inshore ACE. I came on board halfway through the first year of this deal, and I have to say we are doing a really good job, and still putting our people first.
I know it’s tough times right now for New Zealand as a whole. As an industry we are strong, we are resilient, we’ve been through this before and we can come out the other side stronger and more united every time. However, if a fisher is out there on the water and can’t see the light on the other side, I urge them to get in touch with FirstMate at 0800ADRIFT. They are a wellbeing support service for people in commercial fishing, they are available to talk, and they care.
One of the main challenges facing our inshore sector is finding and retaining good crew, and as minimum wage climbs and fishing income remains relatively stagnant, the appeal of fishing to our next generation seems to dwindle. I think it’s important to remember what made us fall in love with the job; because for me it wasn’t the money; it was the community and lifestyle; and most importantly, a CAREER.
I was lucky enough to start fishing with Stu Sheard, who would go on to become like a second dad to me—he always nurtured and enabled me to do my best. He reinforced that fishing wasn’t just about money but that it could take me places. He encouraged me to get qualified and make something of myself instead of just being a delinquent like I had been for much of my youth.
And, as Stu predicted, fishing has afforded me many opportunities. I was driving my own boat as a 20-year-old for Sanford (the Kaipara, a 60-foot longliner). That put a lot of pressure on me to grow up fast.
From there, I tried many types of fishing and worked with some great crews. Although I received a few awards for different things along the way, the challenge for me was always work-life balance. Even when I wasn’t on the water, I was still working as I was always on the phone.
Down the line, FirstMate came calling, which arrived at a good time in my personal life. I had just finished fishing, my marriage was on the way out, and I was trying to do work on land in our business to piece that back together but nothing was really working. When I was struggling to find things I enjoyed, Darren Guard rang me from FirstMate and asked me to help out post Cyclone Gabrielle with our fishers. The marriage didn’t work out, but I did find joy again and I went back to fishing.
More recently, I feel privileged to join on a fixed-term contract with Moana—they’ve shown a lot of trust and faith in me. Look, I’m a guy with no high school qualifications, the only thing I do have is a piece of paper that says I can drive a boat.
Honestly, fishing has been a great career. I love the atmosphere and culture at Moana and what we’ve all done together in the industry. We have challenges, but we also have great people. Plus, opportunities are available like the ones that I’ve been given. And although transitioning into a more land-based career has really worked out for me, I am forever grateful for all the boats I’ve worked on and all the people I have worked with on the water. We truly are special, and I really believe in and have never stopped feeling passionate about what we do, so it’s only onwards and upwards from here. KIA KAHA.
At Seafood New Zealand, we occasionally like to hand the pen for the weekly Update to someone on the front line to bring you a view from (or of) the water. Look out for future columns from other seafood super stars in coming weeks.
Read the full The Update - 26 July
