Beyond the Hook: A New Zealand Food Story

Abstract

The dissertation is a narrative interpretation, utilising a gastronomic lens, of an Italian fishing family living in Taputeranga Bay (Island Bay) Wellington, New Zealand. This study explores how the privatisation of the commercial fishing industry resulted in changes in the community’s dynamics between 1970 and 2021 and how the quota management system (QMS) was the supposed catalyst for the family's displacement and eventually resettlement in Australia. The research reflects on personal beliefs held over 30 years and refutes previous views by providing an alternative narrative of New Zealand in the 1980s which was a time of civil and social unrest with changes in gender roles and government policy that focussed on creating a free-market economy. The results highlight the inadequacy of government policies in relation to the commercial fishing industry, the exploitation of workers, human rights abuses, mismanagement of the marine ecosystem, and false claims of sustainable and ethical fishing practices. The last and most prominent finding is that within culture and traditions, one's identity is stable, and through food, regardless of physical location, people will always find a sense of belonging.