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FWC: SUI vs BIH, 6am on SN Extra'Your kids will thank you': Matt Watson's emotional reaction to delay of Fisheries Amendment Bill
The Rural Roundup • June 18th, 2026 6:19 pm
Photo: Matt Watson, Facebook
The controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill will not go ahead in this term of Government - a decision that's being touted as a win for New Zealand.
Fighting back tears moments after hearing the news, ITM Fishing Show host Matt Watson told The Rural Roundup that he’s just proud of Kiwis.
“I’m sounding emotional and that’s because I am," he said to host Erin Speedy.
“I won't lie, it's been hard seeing the way things were going and having to jump on social media, do loads of media interviews, to try and motivate people to say, 'look, this is going to be bad, not just for us, but for our kids, for our environment.'”
Despite the exhaustion of mobilising the movement, he said he feels so proud that the country has listened, stood up and made a stand.
“Kiwis are typically like, ah, she'll be right. You know, someone else will take care of it. But they haven't sat back and let that happen. They've made their voices heard.
“Anyone out there listening that put a submission in, that emailed your MP, thank you - and your kids will thank you for it too.”
The Fisheries Amendment Bill was one of the most controversial fisheries proposals in recent history, with the Primary Production Select Committee receiving more than 33,000 submissions most against it.
Fisheries Minister Shane Jones had already backtracked on certain parts of the bill which would have allowed commercial fishers to sell undersized fish and formally block the Official Information Act from being used to obtain footage from monitoring cameras on fishing vessels.
Watson said he was looking forward to being part of building sustainable fisheries policy, his next step in the fight.
“We can all be part of building something that's going to revive our ocean and serve our kids and give us this amazing thing where we can go to the sea, gather some seafood, fill our bellies and have those incredible memories with friends and family, which the country's founded on.”
Listen to The Rural Roundup for the full interview from 12pm Friday on Sport Nation.
