3 minute read
Air Chats Autumn 2023
Gone Fishing with Air Chathams!
GIVE A MAN A FISH and you feed him for a day, so the saying goes, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. We’re not really sure where inspiring a whole bunch of eastern Bay of Plenty rangatahi to find a passion for fishing fits into that model, but we can’t help but feel it’s a good thing. And at Air Chathams we love good things!
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“Fishing is just such an intrinsic part of Kiwi culture,” says Air Chathams Chief Operating Officer Duane Emeny. “It’s something nearly all of us experience in childhood and many of us never really grow out of it – anyone from the Chatham Islands is evidence of that! It’s in our Kiwi DNA and it helps teach us about where our food comes from and the value of that, and about the importance of protecting the ecosystem that surrounds us. And it’s also really great fun!”
Just how much fun fishing can be was on clear display at the New World Whakatāne Sportfishing Club Juniors Tournament, which was held from 13-15 January and which Air Chathams is proud to be a sponsor of. Marketing and Sales Manager Brent Condon says the Air Chathams whānau love being involved in these kinds of grass-roots events and being a part of the communities, they fly in to.
“It’s great to see kids getting into fishing, away from devices and outdoors,” he says. “Kids just love fishing and it’s our most popular past time – over a million of us fish – and it’s a fun way to improve not just physical wellbeing but also mental wellbeing. Air Chathams is really keen to get our sponsorship efforts working at this level, on the ground with kids where it matters, and of course it makes so much sense for us to sponsor this event here in Whakatāne, which is the sport fishing capital!”
And Whakatāne certainly came through on the day, with plenty of locals taking part as well as visitors from near and far, including the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club juniors. The weather –mostly – came to the party and so did the fish, with some very respectable kahawai, trevally, tarakihi, snapper, kingfish and yellow fin landed, and even a marlin caught and released.
And as you can see from the accompanying photos, the Air Chathams photo competition, which ran throughout the tournament, also bagged some prizes.
“We’ve been working on other initiatives with Whakatāne District Council about getting kids into things like fishing, and we’re looking forward to getting these off the ground,” Brent says.
“We’re particularly keen to get kids involved who might not have these opportunities through family like many of us do, so watch this space, there are some exciting things on the way.”
