Our Commitment to Care
Shared Value & Sustainability
Eco-friendly fishing charters in Wānaka and Queenstown — caring for our lakes, our community, and future generations.
At Catch a Fish, we believe that running fishing charters in Wānaka and Queenstown is about much more than catching trout or salmon. It’s about creating memories with our guests while caring for the lakes and communities that make this place so special.
That’s why we’ve built our business around the idea of shared value. We see sustainability as a way of doing business that creates benefits for everyone—our guests, our local community, and the environment. It’s a promise that we’ll still be here in 10, 15, or 20 years, sharing the same stunning waters and leaving them a little better every day.
Sustainability, to us, is not a finish line. It’s an ongoing journey. We know we’ll never be “done,” and that’s exactly the point. Every day we challenge ourselves to do better—whether it’s adopting new innovations, supporting local projects, or finding smarter ways to reduce our impact.
We’ve already made big steps:
- Investing in an electric trolling motor for quiet, clean fishing
- Supporting local businesses in everything we buy
- Contributing 1% of our proceeds to Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown for projects that improve the health of our lakes
- Committing to being a carbon neutral fishing charter by offsetting what we can’t yet eliminate.
- We fish with science in mind — encouraging catch and release, sharing data with Fish & Game, and helping Wai Wānaka monitor lake health.
And we’re not stopping here. We’re always listening, learning, and looking for ways to improve. If you’d like to join the conversation, or have ideas on how tourism can leave a positive mark on our region, we’d love to hear from you.
A Quiet, Clean Electric Trolling Motor
Our Stabicraft boat is fitted with a state-of-the-art Garmin electric trolling motor, powered by solar-charged batteries. This technology lets us move silently across the lake, without fumes, noise, or disruption to wildlife. For our guests, it means a more peaceful, premium experience surrounded only by the sounds of nature.
The benefits go far beyond comfort. Because the motor is GPS-enabled, it can hold our position without anchoring. That means no chain scraping along the lake bed and no disturbance to fragile underwater habitats. Combined with reduced fuel use, lower emissions, and clean renewable energy from solar charging, this system helps us protect the lake environment while we fish.
It’s the perfect example of how eco-friendly innovation can improve both the quality of the adventure and the health of the place we love.
Giving Back Through Love Wānaka & Love Queenstown
As proud Impact Partners, we commit 1% of our proceeds to the Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown community funds. These giving platforms channel contributions from tourism into projects that protect and restore the environment—especially the health and quality of our lakes.
Both funds accelerate grassroots climate, conservation, and biodiversity action, supporting a more sustainable and regenerative visitor economy in our region. Importantly, 20% of all donations are invested into endowment funds, creating long-term, substantial funding so this mahi (work) continues for generations.
Recent projects supported include:
- Native reforestation around Lake Hayes and Slope Hill, improving biodiversity and water quality.
- Biodiversity monitoring such as acoustic bat research in Rees Valley, protecting fragile nocturnal species.
- Predator control programmes to safeguard endangered native birdlife.
Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown also connect visitors with volunteer opportunities, raise the profile of passionate local groups doing this work day-in, day-out, and inspire more sustainable travel choices.
When you book a fishing trip with Catch a Fish, you’re not just enjoying an unforgettable day on the water—you’re also helping ensure that the landscapes, wildlife, and waterways we treasure will be here for the future.
Supporting Local Businesses
We believe in strengthening our community, because our business is only as strong as the place we belong to. That’s why we make a conscious effort to source locally—so every fishing charter supports other small businesses across Wānaka and Queenstown.
In Queenstown, we partner with The Boatshed Bakery, right on the waterfront. Each morning we walk past to pick up a selection of their freshly baked pastries for our guests to enjoy onboard. It’s a little ritual that connects our trips to the heart of the town.
In Wānaka, we work with Pembroke Patisserie and Scroggin. Both are known for their beautifully made pastries, and they happily cater for a range of dietary requirements—so everyone can enjoy something special during their day out on the lake.
We also team up with local restaurants to make your experience even more memorable. After a day on the water, chefs at Arc in Wānaka or Fino in Queenstown can prepare your freshly caught fish for dinner. It’s the perfect way to round off your adventure: from lake to plate, local and fresh.
But our local connections go further than food. We source our fuel, maintenance, and fishing supplies from local providers, keeping money circulating in the region and supporting the people who support us. Whenever possible, we also choose locally made products over imports to reduce our footprint and strengthen our community ties.
Carbon Neutral Commitment
At Catch a Fish, we take responsibility for our environmental footprint. While we already minimise emissions wherever possible—through our electric trolling motor, careful trip planning, and supporting local suppliers—some impacts can’t be eliminated just yet.
To balance this, we are proud to operate as a carbon neutral fishing charter. That means we calculate the emissions we can’t avoid and offset them through certified programs that fund projects like renewable energy, forest regeneration, and carbon capture.
For our guests, it means every time you join us for a fishing trip on Lake Wānaka, Lake Hāwea, or Lake Wakatipu, you’re not only enjoying a world-class adventure—you’re also contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Our commitment to carbon neutrality is part of a bigger promise: to keep improving, keep learning, and keep leading the way for eco-friendly fishing in New Zealand.
Science and Sustainability on the Water
With skipper Olly’s background in biology and zoology, Catch a Fish brings a genuinely science-led approach to sustainable fishing in Wānaka and Queenstown. Olly’s knowledge of fish behaviour, lake ecosystems, and conservation means every trip is run with care for both people and the environment.
We actively encourage catch and release fishing wherever possible. By releasing trout and salmon back into the water, we help protect fish stocks and ensure the lakes remain abundant for future generations of anglers. But catch and release isn’t just about letting fish go — it’s about knowing when and how to do it responsibly, to give each fish the best chance of survival. That’s where Olly’s expertise really makes a difference.
To support wider conservation efforts, we also share detailed catch data with Fish & Game New Zealand. Information like species, length, weight, and catch location contributes to vital research that guides the long-term management of trout and salmon populations in our region.
We work alongside Wai Wānaka, contributing to lake health monitoring projects. Using tools like the Secchi disk, we help measure water clarity and track changes over time, building a clearer picture of how our lakes are doing and what they need to stay healthy.
By combining hands-on science, sustainable fishing practices, and collaboration with local organisations, we’re proud to be one of the few eco-friendly fishing charters in New Zealand that not only takes guests on unforgettable adventures but also gives back to the environment and the knowledge that protects it.
The Tiaki Promise
At Catch a Fish, we proudly support the Tiaki Promise — a nationwide initiative that encourages everyone who travels in Aotearoa New Zealand to care for people, place, and culture.
The word tiaki means to care for, protect, and preserve. The Tiaki Promise is about travelling with respect: protecting our land, sea, and nature; treading lightly; and leaving nothing but footprints behind.
For us, the Tiaki Promise aligns perfectly with how we operate our fishing charters in Wānaka and Queenstown. From running an electric trolling motor that protects our lakes, to giving back through Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown, to supporting local communities, we live these values every day.
When you join a trip with Catch a Fish, we invite you to take the Tiaki Promise with us — helping ensure that New Zealand’s natural treasures remain just as magical for future generations.
Sustainability
Why It Matters
By choosing Catch a Fish, you’re not only joining one of the best fishing charters in Wānaka and Queenstown — you’re also becoming part of something bigger. Every trip supports a vision of tourism that gives back, creating benefits for people, the planet, and prosperity.
- People: From the bakeries that prepare your morning tea, to the restaurants that cook your fresh catch, to the local charities improving our environment — your booking directly supports our community. Every dollar spent with us circulates through Wānaka and Queenstown, helping families, small businesses, and community groups thrive.
- Planet: The lakes are at the heart of everything we do. By investing in sustainable practices like our electric trolling motor, reducing waste, and funding conservation projects through Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown, we’re helping protect these fragile ecosystems. Your day on the water contributes to cleaner lakes, restored habitats, and healthier wildlife.
- Prosperity: We believe in creating shared value — where tourism strengthens the place we call home. Our goal is a fishing business that lasts not just for years, but for generations, always improving and leaving the environment in better shape than we found it.
At Catch a Fish, we’re proud to lead the way in eco-friendly fishing in New Zealand, proving that unforgettable adventures and long-term care for our environment go hand in hand. When you cast a line with us, you’re also casting your support behind a more sustainable future — one where future generations can enjoy the same pristine lakes, thriving wildlife, and sense of wonder that we do today.