Aquaculture Industry Announces New CEO

New Zealand Aquaculture Council Press Release

Aquaculture Industry Announces New CEO

The New Zealand Aquaculture Council is pleased to announce that Mike Burrell has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for the newly established national aquaculture representative organisation, New Zealand Aquaculture Ltd.

The establishment of New Zealand Aquaculture Ltd and the appointment of CEO is the first step in the New Zealand Aquaculture Strategy, which was launched by the Minister of Economic Development, Trevor Mallard, in July this year. An early task is to work closely with Government in advancing the implementation process of the Aquaculture Law Reform – a challenge that is continuing to frustrate the realisation of potential for regional communities and the industry itself.

“The industry has agreed that in order to achieve its vision it needs a collective over-arching representation, with national recognition, which avoids duplicated effort and cost, and achieves support and buy-in from industry participants,”commented Callum McCallum, Chair of the Aquaculture Council. “NZ Aquaculture Ltd is the vehicle to drive this vision,” he said.

The strategy is a 10 point plan towards the industry’s goal of achieving value of $1 billion by 2025. It has been extremely well received by industry members, other industry stakeholders, regional and central government alike and is generally viewed as a forward thinking, pragmatic and industry led programme toward realising the industry’s true potential for sustainable economic growth.

Mike comes to the industry from LECG Ltd where he was responsible for the development of the Aquaculture Sector Strategy. He has a background in industry development both in New Zealand and internationally, and he has a Masters from the London School of Economics.

“Mike proved his enthusiasm for and commitment to the industry through his role in the development of the Aquaculture Strategy and we’re excited about his potential to guide the industry through the strategy’s implementation and toward realisation of our goal,” commented Peter Vitasovich, Chair of the New Zealand Mussel Industry Council. “He takes up the role in January and we welcome him on board.”

ENDS

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