The sea needs no licence. Rivers and lakes need a Fish & Game licence, except in the Taupō District, which has its own licence from the Department of Conservation. Prices for 2026/27, read from each agency on 7 October 2026.
You do not need a licence to fish in the sea around New Zealand. You do need a licence for freshwater fishing. (MPI). Daily limits, minimum sizes and closures are set by MPI area by area and change often: each place page shows the rules for its area with the date they were read.
The whitebait season is 1 September to 30 October everywhere except the Chatham Islands, where it runs from 1 December to the last day of February (Whitebait Fishing Regulations 2021). DOC whitebaiting regulations.
Trout, salmon and other sports fish in rivers and lakes everywhere in New Zealand except the Taupō District, which has its own licence. Licence year 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Prices as Fish & Game lists them, including GST; the fees in the Sports Fish Licences, Fees, and Forms Notice 2026 (SL 2026/244) are set without GST.
| Licence | Price (GST incl.) |
|---|---|
| Adult (18+), whole season | NZ$158 |
| Family, whole season | NZ$207 |
| Junior (12–17), whole season | NZ$31 |
| Child (under 12) | Free |
| Adult local area (one Fish & Game region), whole season | NZ$127 |
| Loyal senior (65+), whole season | NZ$135 |
| Adult, one day | NZ$25 |
| Junior, one day | NZ$6 |
| Adult short break (3 days in a row) | NZ$57 |
| Adult long break (9 days in a row) | NZ$111 |
| Adult winter season (1 April to 30 September) | NZ$95 |
| Licence | Price (GST incl.) |
|---|---|
| Non-resident adult, whole season | NZ$273 |
| Non-resident junior or child, whole season | NZ$52 |
| Non-resident adult, one day | NZ$39 |
| Non-resident junior or child, one day | NZ$24 |
Children under 12 need a licence too; it is free. The resident options are for New Zealand residents only; visitors buy the non-resident licences. Prices from Fish & Game New Zealand; open seasons, methods and bag limits by water are in the Anglers Notice for Fish and Game Regions 2026 (New Zealand Gazette 2026-sl4317).
Lake Taupō and the rivers and streams of the Taupō District, which the Department of Conservation manages; a Fish & Game licence does not cover them. Licence year 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
| Licence | Price (GST incl.) |
|---|---|
| Adult, 24 hours | NZ$23 |
| Child (under 18), 24 hours | NZ$5 |
| Adult, one week | NZ$49 |
| Non-resident, one week | NZ$89 |
| Adult, whole season | NZ$105 |
| Senior (65+), whole season | NZ$90 |
| Non-resident, whole season | NZ$169 |
| Family (up to four children), whole season | NZ$159 |
| Child, whole season | NZ$13.50 |
DOC counts as non-resident anyone who is neither a New Zealand citizen nor a permanent resident, which is not the same test Fish & Game uses. DOC defines a child as under 18 on 1 July and a senior as 65 or older on 1 July. DOC Taupō licences · Taupō fishing rules. Source: Department of Conservation, licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
No. MPI says you do not need a licence to fish in the sea around New Zealand, but its daily limits, minimum sizes and closures apply in each area; every place page on this site shows the rules for its area.
For rivers and lakes outside Taupō, a Fish & Game adult licence costs NZ$158 for the 2026/27 season and a one-day adult licence NZ$25; visitors pay NZ$273 for the season or NZ$39 for a day. In the Taupō District a DOC adult licence costs NZ$105 for the season or NZ$23 for 24 hours.
No. Lake Taupō and the rivers of the Taupō District need the DOC Taupō licence, sold separately.
For Fish & Game waters, yes: children under 12 need a licence, which is free, and juniors aged 12 to 17 pay the junior price. For Taupō, DOC sells a child licence for anyone under 18 on 1 July.
The Fish & Game licence year runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027; the Taupō licence year from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Open seasons differ water by water and are set in the Anglers Notice for Fish and Game Regions 2026: many waters are open all year, many others from 1 October to 30 April.