Fish & Game Updates Family Licence to Support Increased Participation

Fish & Game New Zealand is updating its family fishing licence to ensure both adults named on the licence have equal fishing rights, correcting a longstanding anomaly in the system. 

From the 2025/26 fishing season, both adults listed on a family licence will be recognised as full licence holders, able to fish independently and exercise voting and standing rights in Fish & Game elections. Previously, the second adult listed on a family licence, often a woman, could not fish independently and had no voting or election rights. 

Pictured above: Sharna Brown with son Ryker (2 years old). This image won the ReWild Snap & Share: The Fish & Game Licence Photo Competition  

The decision to update the family licence was informed by research conducted by the Centre for Recreation Research (University of Otago), commissioned by Fish & Game. The research findings revealed that the previous family licence structure limited women’s participation in angling, as they were often listed as the secondary licence holder.  

“Fishing should be easily accessible to all family members, and updating the family licence is an important step in encouraging greater participation by women,” says Richie Cosgrove, Acting Chief Executive.  

“Our data shows that while 13% of individual licence holders are women, this figure rises to around 30% when considering women listed as the second adult on a family licence. We hope this change encourages more women to get involved,” Cosgrove adds. 

Under the improved family licence, both adults will be able to fish independently anywhere in New Zealand, receive Fish & Game communications, and participate fully in the organisation’s democratic processes. The family licence will require at least one child to be listed, and the licence fee will remain unchanged. 

"These changes are part of our broader strategy to make freshwater fishing more accessible," says Cosgrove. "If women participated at the same rate as men, we could see 40,000 to 60,000 more women enjoying our rivers and lakes." 

The changes will be implemented in two phases, with equal fishing rights beginning this August and full system updates following in 2026. 

Read the key changes here