The national Fish & Game council has ordered chief executive Martin Taylor, alongside other national staff, not to make proactive press releases containing negative statements about farmers. Although it has a national body, Fish & Game is largely driven by its 12 regional counterparts, which act semi-autonomously. At the most recent Fish and Game elections, held in 2018, a campaign by Federated Farmers to elect farmers onto the regional Fish and Game councils was moderately successful. At the time, Fish & Game chief executive Martin Taylor said it appeared to be an effort to blunt the organisation's environmental advocacy. He was replaced by Paul Shortis, a member of the Wellington Fish & Game council.

Source: Stuff April 30, 2020 23:26 UTC