Milan Radonich of Tauranga and his Big Angry Fish co-host Nathan O'Hearn have joined forces with Maritime New Zealand to encourage gung-ho fishermen to wear lifejackets.
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) is sponsoring the fishing show, the first of 13 episodes having screened on TV3 at 5.30pm yesterday.
Mr Radonich said he and Mr O'Hearn were rapt to collaborate with MNZ to promote key safety messages, and to make wearing lifejackets "very cool".
"In the past, I never used to wear one, but today Nathan and I take a totally different approach to safety. Before I head out fishing I always grab my sunglasses and hat, and my lifejacket is another must, and we don't leave shore unless all the appropriate safety gear is on board."
Mr Radonich said the Big Angry Fish show was not only about having loads of fun while catching big fish, but promoting the "safety first" message to other fishers and boaties.