Who Are We
We are an international team with global ambition and roots in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are seafood specialists, award-winning chefs, international marketers, biotechnologists and designers. We love food, especially seafood, and want to instigate positive change by bridging timeless food traditions with new technology and the imperative of improving the sustainability of our global food system.
From our Queenstown culinary lab to our Auckland R&D Pilot Plant to our partners in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mexico City, we experiment with ideas that combine the old world and the new. We focus on excellence, launching future foods that do not compromise on flavour, taste or sustainability.
Our common purpose is to reimagine New Zealand’s seafood to replenish our relationship with the ocean.
Why are we here?
Our food feeds our culture. And some areas require rethinking.
Seafood is a celebratory food. It powers our memorable moments with the people and places that we love. But at what cost? The oceans that give so much to our blue planet now face the perils of overfishing and the consequences of unsustainable practices. Seafood is worth saving but our attitude to it has to change—and this is how we plan on doing it.
Too often, our experience of seafood is limited to only a few overfished species. NewFish charts a path for future generations to still share in seafood celebrations and traditions but in an entirely new way.
By combining celebrated cuisines with new ideas and products, our future-friendly seafood is designed to nudge your dinner menu toward a more inspired flavour palette and a more sustainable future.
We’re not just in it for the food. We’re here for the stuff that good food brings: time with family, connections with friends, and a sense of place and culture.
Slideshow
Introduce your store or campaign with this slideshow section.
Seafood’s on the menu. Values are being served.
They say we are what we eat. Our relationship with food reflects who we are and what we value.
Our products are created by chefs for chefs and their future protégés. We are creating entirely new products to delight customers, solve food waste problems and save time.
Our customers are all part of the new wave in food where chefs, restaurants, passionate companies and families want to celebrate provenance, explore new ideas and technologies, and find a creative outlet to make a statement with their food.
NewSeas
Our commitment
Our NewSeas™ charter communicates and represents the principles, purpose and impact of NewFish as an organisation.
Leadership, Collaboration and Exploration are the principles that guide our purpose—enabling consumers to eat towards abundance.
A formal NewSeas process, including screening criteria, accountabilities and third-party certification has been established to maximise the holistic value created by NewFish products.
We assess and align all products against our purpose, principles and impact.
We commit to use seaweed / algae in every NewFish product.
Why seaweed?
In New Zealand there are approximately 1,000 native macroalgae species. They have an incredible flavour depth, high nutritional content and are a plant-based protein. Environmentally they have huge potential as a carbon sink for the way they absorb carbon efficiently. Seaweed requires minimal input and can be farmed in a way that helps restore marine environments and improve marine ecosystem health.
Seaweed self-replenishes at a faster rate than many seafood species, with some plants growing up to one metre each day.
In our Pāua Saucisson, we use Pacific Kelp which adds umami flavour and unique texture as well as a boost in minerals and vitamins.
Valid questions that come our way
Isn’t the global fishing industry completely unsustainable?
This is a powerful and simple message, and while the headline holds true for many locations, broad generalisations are always problematic. New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and the practices of our fishing industry are in far better shape than most, and while we have our own complexities, it would be unfair to say all fishing in New Zealand is unsustainable. We started NewFish because we believe New Zealand has something to offer the world. We’re also here because we are devastated at the global state of our marine environments. We work for progress in New Zealand, and agitate for improvements far.
Why eat fish at all?
Our customers are like us—they want to eat fish because they love it and because it carries on rich traditions. Avoiding seafood altogether might be a solution that works for some people, and depending on where you’re based, it might be the best option for the environment. However, here in New Zealand, with the specific foods we work with, we know that this is not necessary. NewFish’s role is to work carefully and with nuance to help more people cherish sustainably sourced New Zealand seafood, respecting the species and their provenance, and supporting fisher people and partners who are stewarding abundant marine environments.
Are you really changing cultures?
The truth is, we don’t know yet, but we’re trying. We’ve seen plenty of great ideas that have limited impact because they target a small, already convinced market instead of changing hearts and minds. We want to take promising new ingredients to new audiences, and replace problematic practices with better ones. Cultures are complex, and supporting change takes time, care and the work of many. We’re in it for the long haul and we welcome partners on the journey.
Do you support plant-based alternatives?
Yes! Our NewFish food pyramid considers how much we should eat, and what it should consist of. While we create pathways for sustainable fish from the fisheries we’re familiar with, we also see the need for a general transition in global seafood cultures—one where we eat smaller amounts of seafood, and truly cherish it when we do. We have two golden rules in our product development: everything must be delicious and everything must include algae. We believe that sustainable seaweed and algae should become the staples of our seafood cultures and we’re supporting the sector to grow with and through our products.
What about ocean plastics and climate change?
While we wish we had all the answers, unfortunately we don’t. We do our best to manage our own waste and carbon emissions and we’re always working to extend our impact. But these are huge topics, and they are a nut we’re yet to crack.
Is your packaging sustainable?
Our Pāua Saucisson is in fully recyclable packaging, designed and made in New Zealand from Sustainably sourced (PEFC certified) materials.