Council encourages sharing of ideas.

As the consultation round of Soundings discussion draws to a close, the Executive of the NZ Recreational Fishing Council held a meeting in Rotorua, on  November 11, to formulate a strategic path for the Council to follow through to the final stages in determining the recreational fishing right.

It was agreed that the joint rights working group in developing the Soundings document had achieved its objective in raising public awareness in creating debate and feedback about the future needs and requirements of recreational fishing. This was seen as the first step in what will be an important process to achieve the final objective.

The NZRFC executive felt it was imperative to stay abreast of public opinion to ensure its future policies were inclusive of all users. Toward this end members from option4 were invited to the meeting.  The primary objective of both the NZRFC and option4 is to ensure the best possible outcome from the debate that the Soundings process has created. It was determined that there was a mutual benefit to be gained in sharing the arguments, concepts and ideas formulated within each group while each group retained it¹s own independence.

Steve Penn, President of the NZ Recreational Fishing Council said. "The agreement to set up a free and full flow of information between the two groups can only be good news for all recreational fishers."