RMD Marine co-owner Roger Rawlinson is headed back to the Far North to offer fishing job opportunities to youth. Photo / Supplied
RMD Marine co-owner Roger Rawlinson is headed back to the Far North to offer fishing job opportunities to youth. Photo / Supplied
He was hailed as a hero during last year's lockdown for his generous fish donation to local communities, and now skipper Roger Rawlinson is back to awhi (support) Far North youth.
Rawlinson is co-owner of the Rawlinson whānau-run RMD Marine and has been fishing in the Far North - where a large portion of his harvesting takes place - for about 25 years.
Last year, together with Bay Packers (part-owned by Moana New Zealand) and Ngāti Ranginui Fisheries, he was kept particularly busy with his customary fishing for local communities and hapū.
"The need was there, people couldn't go out and collect for themselves, so we helped out where we could during that difficult time," Rawlinson said.
"I even bought a chiller truck so that they could safely cart the fish in a temperature-controlled environment."
Over his many years working in the Far North, Roger said he had recognised the need for better employment opportunities for young people.
"Poor job availability in the regions often presented Far North rangatahi with a choice of moving to cities or staying and facing unfulfilling careers," he said.
RMD Marine recently introduced a new fishing vessel, the Hikurangi, which for the past four years has been getting a refit in Te Waipounamu (the South Island) to ensure it was fit for purpose to a high standard.
Skipper Roger Rawlinson donated $12,000 of fish to Far North communities last year. Photo / Moana New Zealand
The Hikurangi represents more than just an expansion of the RMD Marine fleet and is a boat specifically chosen and refurbished to be a training vessel to create employment opportunities for young people in the Far North.
With three cabins and nine bunks, the Hikurangi can take up to two extra people on every excursion, giving rangatahi in the regions an opportunity to experience a career in the fishing industry.
RMD Marine is working alongside local hapū to get young people aboard the Hikurangi, to let them have a chance at fishing and see if it's for them.
"I've got the capability and the capacity to do it, and I wanna do it", Rawlinson said.
"If they don't like it, that's fine - if they do like it, there may be a job for them."
Before its maiden fishing venture, the Hikurangi was blessed by Tamati Tata, a local Tauranga kaumatua.
The blessing signified the start of a new journey for the Hikurangi, the Rawlinson whānau business, RMD Marine, and the regional communities in Aotearoa.
As a nod to their own whakapapa as a Māori fishing whānau, the Rawlinson whānau have added a kowhaiwhai design to the Hikurangi, a combination of mangopare (hammerhead sharks) and ngaru (waves).
The design represents the harmony between their ocean environment, relationships with iwi and hapū, and commercial relationships like Moana New Zealand.
The Hikurangi has been kitted out with the latest in marine technology to give the people working and training on board the best experience and working conditions possible.
It will also create a new opportunity for Roger's son, Andre, who will be the engineer and skipper on board the Hikurangi.
"I've got the capability now to make dreams come true for some people who might want to be in the marine industry," Roger said.
"There's not just fishing, there are engineering and electrical and all sorts of stuff that make ships move through the water."
Moana New Zealand is the largest Māori-owned fisheries company in Aotearoa and because it does not own any of its own vessels, it must partner with businesses that align with their values of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whakapapa and whakatipuranga.
Moana New Zealand general manager inshore Mark Ngata said RMD Marine was an outstanding example of this.
"They are a business we can stand proudly and humbly beside as they continue to excel at navigating the ever-changing waters of the fishing industry," Ngata said.
"They have come a long way since they started from scratch in 1988, and we know they have a long, prosperous future ahead of them.
"We are proud of what they have achieved, how they have gone about achieving it and we're proud to have them as part of our Moana whānau."
