SEAFOOD & MARINE
Strategic communications and marketing for the
seafood, science and
marine sectors.
Image: tbc
Trusted by New Zealand's seafood sector
For more than a decade, Publik has provided the New Zealand seafood and marine industry 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 sectors, we'd love to help you achieve your communications and marketing goals.
One of Plant & Food’s prototype open ocean aquaculture pens for snapper.
A sector we're proud to support.
It is a privilege to work for New Zealand’s seafood, science and marine sectors.
Seafood – supported by marine infrastruture 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, government agencies, research organisations and industry associations.
Our media relations and media training programmes generate positive or 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 build new websites and produce eye-catching and informative content:
stakeholder newsletters and customer communications
magazines and annual reports
animations, graphics, photography and video
expo and conference collateral
social media campaigns.
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 CAN HELP YOU
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 in.
-

STRATEGIC PLANNING
Communications and marketing strategies:
Annual communications and marketing strategies for companies and sector organisations.
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.
-

WEBSITE AND DIGITAL
New website builds, refreshes and management:
New website builds to improve user experiences and functionality for the public, members and staff.
The latest techniques to ensure digital content is optimised for, and found by, AI and other search tools.
Regular structural and content updates of existing websites.
Pictured: NZ Fish Fed’s redeveloped website, launched May 2026.
-

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Proactive and reactive social media management:
Social media plans and content, underpinned by strategic intent and an understanding of the public’s information needs.
Monitoring Meta accounts and assisting with timely responses to comments.
Planning, designing and producing cost-effective social media campaigns.
Pictured: Social media marketing campaign for Sealord.
-

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.
-

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Bringing seafood and its people to life:
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.
Pictured: Print collateral designed for Sealord.
-

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.
-

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).
-

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.
We can present to attendees about 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, we love playing a part in our seafood sector’s story.
Photography in the field. A shot from a Plant & Food Research photoshoot (now the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science).
We made this video and data visualisation for the NZ Fish Federation, to educate and inform people about the minimal inshore fishing trawling footprint.
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.
We worked with an app developer to update the graphics and gameplay for the Sealord fishing game app.
Branding and marketing for Seafood Saturday.
Table talkers for Seafood Saturday.
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.
Publik consultants Claire, Emma and Steph have had a hand in Seafood New Zealand's successful annual conferences since 2022.
Publik Agency MD Emma Thompson received a Seafood Stars Award in 2024 for making Seafood Saturday happen in Nelson.
OUR EXTRAORDINARY SEAFOOD CLIENTS
Over the years we have had the privilege to work with some incredible businesses and people in the seafood industry.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER