The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council is holding the
first ever youth fishing Nationals during the 2022 April
school holidays.
NZSFC CEO Steven Standford says:
“There is a growing recognition amongst schools and Sport
NZ that many modern children are not participating in the
traditional sports promoted at school.
“As a kid,
there are growing levels of physical disparity amongst
children – no one wants to compete with school rugby front
rows that weigh as much as the All Blacks packs. And as a
parent, most of us would be able to see for themselves that
our kids are spending too much time in front of their
screens in a sedentary lifestyle. ”
The event is the
inspiration of the junior members of the NZSFC Youth
Committee, a group of enthusiastic members ranging in age
from 8 to 16. They were keen to build a tournament that
caters to all levels of fishing skill, be fun and also a
challenge for serious competitors.
Fishing is one of
New Zealand’s favourite past times with over 600,000 kiwis
regularly participating in any one year, and 3,000
registered youth fishers within the NZSFC network. It is a
great way for families to bond and provides lessons in
patience, self-reliance and determination.
“NZSFC
youth fishers are confident, self-reliant and socially aware
human beings. They are also very environmentally aware and
this comes through in a new measure and release fishing
category.”
The inaugural Youth Nationals is the
first nationwide competition aimed solely at youth in NZ.
There are many club youth competitions and there is a youth
section in the Nationals. However this is a national
tournament solely for youth designed by
youth.
“Fishing is a true family activity that
doesn’t require high levels of physicality or skills –
although some fishers would have you believe they are super
skilful!”
“I was taken out on a boat at the age of
5, given a rod, shown how to bait a hook and promptly caught
a nice bream. That started a lifelong interest in fishing
that has included wharf fishing for sprats, fly fishing,
fishing for sturgeon in Canada and good old drift fishing in
NZ.
For further information please contact Steven
Stanford on 021799163 or
steven.stanford@nzsportfishing.org.nz
Background
information
The event is open to all youth fishers
under the age of 18 on the 30th April 2022. There are two
age categories, 0-12 and 13-17.
Entry fees have been
kept at a modest $5 for existing NZSFC youth members and $10
for non-members. If non members accompany a members their
fee is reduced to $5.
For non-members to register,
either visit your local NZSFC affiliated fishing club or
email secretary@nzsportfishing.org.nz and we will facilitate
registration.
The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council is
a network of 55 member Clubs with 38,500 club members. It is
a nationwide organisation dedicated to the promotion of
fishing and responsible management of the marine
environment.
The tournament is sponsored by Daiwa and
there are many great prizes and trophies for both the keen
tournament fisher and those dipping their rods for the first
time. There is also a photo section sponsored by Fuji. For
more information go to
https://www.nzsportfishing.co.nz/nzsfc-junior-nationals/
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