At FinestKind, Donna Wells is an ambassador for the industry

Donna Wells

You have to give it to Donna Wells. Over twenty-two years ago, with eight years’ fishing business experience under her belt, she set up as a small fry in the big player, male-dominated seafood industry.

Today, her specialty is quota brokerage and being a seafood provider on behalf of independent fishing owners and operators from all around the country. Her hard work, tenacity and networking has all paid off, and today her Nelson-based company, FinestKind Limited, is highly regarded in the industry, both here and across the Tasman. Seafood Industry Australia has only one Kiwi member, and it’s her.

"I must admit to a fair bit of pride and a sense of achievement that FinestKind products regularly make it onto the auction floor alongside other big Kiwi suppliers like Moana Pacific and New Zealand King Salmon. FinestKind is a top brand, which reflects in the prices returned to our suppliers."

Wells, here, is referring to Sydney Fish Market, which she currently supplies about 60 tonnes of top-grade fish to a year. Currently, she is sourcing from six independent fishers up and down the country, her top three suppliers making up around 75 percent of her supply turnover.

Her job is always busiest just before the fish are shipped overseas. A registered exporter, it’s her job to arrange the transport, airfreight logistics and paperwork for every step along the way.

"Fishing compliance is mind bogglingly complicated," she says. "The industry has its own language and lingo – QMS, MHRs, ACE transactions – and that’s before you even start exporting the fish. There’s a lot of mahi, skills, and expertise in getting the fish packed, through the supply chain, and to the destination market in top condition for sale." After seven years running FinestKind from Golden Bay, Wells returned to Nelson in 2005, where she worked from a shared office with Port Nelson Fishermen's Association in Vickerman Street for 13 years.

In a dynamic, exciting industry, Wells knows she’s up for changes and challenges.

"I've learnt a lot of things in my time in seafood and there's no time like now to implement and incorporate these into my business. There are opportunities everywhere. It’s about choosing the right ones."

This is an excerpt from a longer story by Gerard Hindmarsh published on Seafood New Zealand.