MARK CONNOR

Zone 7 Delegate - South Island

Mobile: 027 432 7485

Mark started fishing when he was around 10 years old and has spent a lot of time around Banks Peninsular in the early days chasing crayfish, Blue cod and Butterfish also in the Marlborough Sounds and D’urville island area he has been going there regularly for 40 years.  He also fishes Trout and Salmon but hasnt done that recently.   

He has fished Stuart Island, Dunedin, Moraki, Christchurch, Kaikoura, Marlborough Sounds, D’urville island, Nelson, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Whakatane, Auckland, Great Barrier, Bay of Islands and the three Kings to name a few in New Zealand and has fished around the world in the Vanuatu group for 7 years also Vava’u Tonga, Costa Rica, Carbo San Lucas, Australia and he is heading to Prince Edward Island chasing Blue fin in August.

 His passion for fishing led  him to join the Ashley Fishing Club which in turn lead  him to attend an NZBGFC AGM in Tautuku Fishing Club back in 2005 where he saw the value of the of the organisation and the comradery of the delegates and clubs. This encouraged him to become a sub delegate for the Council and things just went nuts from there and next thing he knew he was president .   Mark feels very privileged to have been part of the growth and changes there has been over the years . The Name change to New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, the starting of the Hiwi the Kiwi Program, the inception of LegaSea and the growth of our now highly respected and professional teams of contractors in our Fisheries Management team and also LegaSea team and the continuing alignment with other organisations.

Mark has had many roles in the Council including President for four years, Vice President for two years.  He is on the Fisheries Management committee and Finance committee, he has been the Zone 7 Rep for 10 years and was a member of the NZSFC group that started LegaSea and current director of LegaSea.  He has been on the Fishing committee and on the Constitution review committee was specifically set up for a short time in 2013.  He helped organise and worked the CHC and then Hutch wilco Boat shows with Richard Baker in the early days before LegaSea took over and has been an Ashley Fishing Club member approx. 20 years.

NZSFC have a great bunch of people who have given up their time as volunteers often at great personal and financial cost to grow and build a great organisation that now has a group of excellent paid professionals taking us to another level.