SEAFOOD & MARINE
Strategic communications and marketing for New Zealand’s seafood sector.
Snapper caught via longline. Photo: Chris Sisarich.
Trusted by New Zealand's seafood and marine sector
For more than a decade, Publik has provided the New Zealand seafood sector with strategic communications and marketing expertise grounded in a deep understanding of the sector's people, pressures, practices and products.
If you work in New Zealand's extraordinary seafood industry or associated marine sectors, scroll down to learn more about the work we do.
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Behind the scenes at Seafood Saturday in 2023.
A sector we're proud to work alongside.
It is a privilege to work for New Zealand’s seafood sector.
Fishing and aquaculture – supported by marine infrastructure companies and science organisations – generates $5.2 billion annually. And the sector is an employment powerhouse of approximately 16,500 people.
The Nelson Marlborough region is at the heart of this. We are home to Australasia’s largest seafood processing port and major fishing and aquaculture companies, serviced by a nationally significant marine service sector.
Over the past decade, Publik has developed an in-depth understanding of the industry's people and its ever-changing complexities. We work with leaders from deepwater and inshore fisheries, seafood processing, aquaculture and industry associations. We also work for the science and research organisations that provide solutions for sustainable practice, and the engineering companies that keep the sector running.
Our media relations and media training programmes generate positive and balanced media stories and opinion pieces nationwide. We support organisations with rapid-response media work when opportunities arise.
We provide strategic communications, government relations, media relations and event support. We also build new websites and produce eye-catching and informative content, such as:
Stakeholder newsletters and customer communications.
Magazines and annual reports.
Animations, graphics, photography and video.
Expo and conference collateral.
Social media campaigns.
Marketing campaigns.
Of note, in 2024, Publik Managing Director Emma Thompson accepted the WISA (Women in Seafood Australasia) – Champions of Women in Seafood Award, recognising our agency’s work establishing the Seafood Saturday event in Nelson and our ongoing work with New Zealand's seafood industry.
HOW WE HAVE HELPED THE SEAFOOD SECTOR
With more than a decade of experience in the seafood sector and a
full-service team across public relations, communications, marketing, digital and design, we are ready to dive into your project.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
Communications and marketing strategies:
Annual and project-based communications and marketing strategies.
PR plans for new legislation, government workstreams, new technology, research outcomes, petitions and protests, fish stock assessments and bycatch reporting.
Corporate communications for major announcements and developments.
Crisis comms planning and implementation (as trusted advisors on your team).
Stakeholder engagement: Government relations, shareholder relations and more.
Pictured: One of Plant & Food’s prototype open ocean aquaculture pens for snapper.
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WEBSITE AND DIGITAL
New website builds, refreshes and management:
New website developments that improve user experiences for the public, members and staff.
Website optimisations that ensure effective engagement and positive user experience.
The latest techniques to ensure sites are optimised for, and found by, AI (in the right way!) as well as traditional searches.
Regular structural and content updates.
Pictured: NZ Fish Fed’s redeveloped website, launched May 2026.
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SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION
Proactive and reactive social media management:
Social media plans and content, underpinned by strategic intent and an understanding of information needs.
Monitoring Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, YouTube and other social media accounts and assisting with timely responses to comments and community management.
Planning, designing and producing cost-effective and strategic social media campaigns.
Pictured: Social media marketing campaign for Sealord.
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MEDIA RELATIONS AND MEDIA TRAINING
Achieving positive and balanced media coverage:
Building relationships with reporters, writers and commentators, to inform them and facilitate stories.
Media relations support to the sector’s business and association leaders. We have placed hundreds of positive or balanced media stories and opinion pieces to date.
Reactive responses to media on issues as they arise, in a fast-turnaround media environment.
One-off and regular media training for sector and company spokespeople, to ensure they are ready to answer both the obvious and the tricky questions.
Hosting media at sector conferences, ensuring they get what they need.
Pictured: Filming with Talley’s.
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GRAPHIC DESIGN
Bringing seafood and its people to life:
Create attention-grabbing and strategic designs that compete in a busy online space.
Producing animated explainers for complex topics, such as inshore commercial fishing and bottom trawling, viewed by thousands of people.
Producing and updating infographics and fact sheets.
Website and brand design.
Pictured: Print collateral designed for Sealord.
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PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTION
Writing, editing and designing print and digital products:
Seafood sector magazines.
Year in Review documents for Seafood New Zealand, illustrating sector achievements.
Corporate communications: Vision and mission statement branding and collateral.
Pictured: The Winter 2025 issue of Seafood Magazine, featuring Strait Speared co-founder Cole Robinson.
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EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
Planning and writing newsletters that inform and entertain:
Write, edit and proof-read sector newsletters as part of coordinated content plans.
Designed graphics to complement wording.
Pictured: Seafood New Zealand’s fortnightly newsletter, The Catch(up).
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CONFERENCES
Bringing people together for important discussions:
Supported the development of the theme, agenda and promotion for six conferences.
Managing media relations and achieving well-informed, balanced media coverage.
Presenting to attendees about the latest developments in communications and media relations.
Pictured: Lisa Futschek, Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive at the 2025 Seafood New Zealand Conference.
EXAMPLES FROM OUR DECK
From media management to disruptive recruitment campaigns that deliver results, we love playing a part in our seafood and marine sector’s story.
We made this video and data visualisation for the NZ Fish Federation, to educate and inform people about how minimal the inshore fishing trawling footprint is in reality.
A concept image for NZ King Salmon's open ocean aquaculture farm under construction, Blue Endeavour. We led the media and PR plan to announce hard-won government approval to proceed with the development.
Introducing Blue Endeavour: Widespread, positive and balanced media coverage was achieved for NZ King Salmon.
NZ King Salmon CEO Carl Carrington being interviewed by TVNZ for the announcement of Blue Endeavour.
Putting the frontline forward. A Sealord photoshoot as part of an attention-grabbing recruitment marketing campaign.
We can make just about anything, from corporate and investor comms products to animated infographics.
Publik loves seafood so much we made our own event for two years running, to celebrate all the people who bring kaimoana from the sea to our tables - from fishers to chefs.
Branding and marketing for Seafood Saturday.
Table talkers for Seafood Saturday.
We worked with an app developer to update the graphics and gameplay for the Sealord fishing game app.
Publik consultant Claire facilitates the 'Sunderland Marine Young Fisher of the Year Award' for the NZ Fish Fed each year, from trophy design to front page news.
We support clients like Seafood NZ to be transparent and accountable to their members.
Sharing messaging pillars one post at a time.
Sealord came to us to help when the borders were shut and we needed to get the attention of a casual workforce to fill factory roles - fast!
An example of bespoke corporate communications. This is Seafood NZ's Year in Review.
Bringing corporate communications into the consumer spotlight.
Publik Agency MD Emma Thompson received a Seafood Stars Award in 2024 for making Seafood Saturday happen in Nelson.
Getting together the collateral for one of the many careers expos Sealord attend.
Information is education. And for Sealord, we worked hard to share information about New Zealand fisheries.
Publik consultants Claire, Emma and Steph have had a hand in Seafood New Zealand's successful annual conferences since 2022.
Bringing corporate communications into the consumer spotlight. And what better way than with the people that bring you scrummy Sealord kaimoana.
A catalogue made for B2B engagement by Sealord with potential export customers.
Sealord Chief Executive Doug Paulin and Te Piki Oranga Tumu Whakarae Anne Hobby celebrating a new sponsorship by Sealord.
OUR EXTRAORDINARY SEAFOOD AND MARINE CLIENTS
Over the years we have had the privilege to work with some incredible businesses and people in the seafood and marine industry.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
