Okains Bay

The Okains Bay Story: My name is Greg Summerton, my family has been fishing for countless generations. My great, great, great grand mother Merehana Puha was from the Maori tribe Ngai Tahu. The principle tribe of the New Zeland’s South Island. Fishing was and still is a way of life for my family. In 1840 a European fisherman named John Fleutey, arrived in New Zealand. He settled in Okains Bay where he married the beautiful Merehana. There was no doubt I would become a fisherman - that was simply what my family did. I was raised the Maori way and taught the principles of the Kaitakitanga: Respect the resources so that their may be a future for the things we take. We have devoted our working life to more traditional methods of sustainable longlining. Okains Bay is my spiritual home and the name of our fishing company. Today we are New Zealand’s largest privately owned longline fishing business.