The Board of New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited (NZKS) has announced the purchase of a commercial site, for $8.14 million, at the Cloudy Bay Business Park in Blenheim.
NZKS Chief Executive Carl Carrington says the purchase is an exciting step in plans to achieve growth for NZKS, and New Zealand aquaculture, as it scales up salmon farming and production when the new Blue Endeavour open ocean farm is operational.
Mr Carrington emphasises that any new factory operations on the site are at least three years away.
What this means for NZKS’ Nelson processing operations
Mr Carrington says there are no immediate or near-term impacts on the company’s Nelson-based factory operations and staffing. Any potential changes are at least three years away – as communicated to employees by email this morning and at staff meetings today.
“While we need to develop a new processing site that is fit for our future, our Nelson infrastructure will continue to be important to NZ King Salmon, and to Nelson.
“Nelson is the base for our research and development, corporate functions and will continue to host some factory processing operations,” Mr Carrington says.
“From Nelson we will continue to contribute to the national Blue Economy, in collaboration with Moananui and science partners such as the Cawthron Institute.
“Our Nelson infrastructure is the heart of our research, development and innovation and will continue to be so – playing a key role in strengthening the aquaculture sector,” Carl says.
A thorough process was undertaken over more than two years to assess and undertake due diligence for potential new factory sites – in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough. The Cloudy Bay site was assessed as being the most viable.
Notably – the location brings the NZX-listed company closer to its farms and fish in the Marlborough Sounds, and to State Highway 1 and its access to international airports from where NZ King Salmon’s products are distributed around the world.
Having primary processing operations based in Blenheim will also take a lot of trucks off the road, says Carl.
“We truck fish from Marlborough over the Whangamoa Hill to Nelson to be processed, and then back over the hill to be distributed. Having our primary processing operations in Blenheim takes a lot of truck movements off the road and better future-proofs our operations to be more resilient to extreme weather events, earthquakes and other things that affect road transport.”
Carl emphasises that NZ King Salmon is a ‘top of the South’ success story – with benefits extended across Te Tauihu – Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.
“We are a proud Te Tauihu company. This purchase and eventual start of factory operations from Blenheim will strengthen our connection to Marlborough while we continue a range of important functions in Nelson,” Mr Carrington says.
“Once we are up and running in Blenheim, we will continue to balance operations across all sites – from our hatchery in Tasman, freshwater operations in Canterbury, our processing and key corporate functions in Nelson and our scaled-up processing in Blenheim.”
About Blue Endeavour
With the Blue Endeavour pilot project well underway, New Zealand King Salmon is just a few months from starting pilot-scale operations at its Blue Endeavour site.
The Blue Endeavour open ocean farm has been around a decade in the making and will see New Zealand King Salmon trial the aquafarming technology that will provide the blueprint for future growth and acceleration of New Zealand’s aquaculture sector.
Key facts:
- Blue Endeavour will be New Zealand’s first open ocean aquaculture farm. It will also be the world’s first farm of its type for the valuable King salmon (Chinook) fish species.
- Open ocean salmon aquaculture is the farming of salmon in enclosed fish pens, anchored in place to the seabed, in exposed marine environments.
- The farm will be located 7km off Cape Lambert outside the Marlborough Sounds. It will comprise two blocks of ten circular pens each; the total farm will be less than 12 surface hectares in size.
- When fully operational, Blue Endeavour will have the capacity to produce approximately 10,000 metric tonnes of King salmon, with an anticipated annual revenue of NZ$350 million per annum.
- Two pilot pens are currently secured in Te Hoiere / Pelorus Sound, from where they will be towed to the Blue Endeavour site in the open ocean and securely moored before salmon are relocated to the pens in November.
- A dedicated service vessel for Blue Endeavour is near completion and is due to arrive in Nelson in early October.
- The progress of the pilot farm to date represents important milestones for the ‘Future Farming’ programme – a five-year partnership with the New Zealand Government to pilot the technologies that will provide the ‘blueprint’ for substantive and sustainable salmon farming growth in NZ, especially within new open ocean environments.
- The project is co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (replaced by the Primary Sector Growth Fund).
For media enquiries, and high-res copies of photos, please contact:
Stephanie Gray: stephanie@publik.nz / 020 4052 4015
NZ King Salmon Chief Executive Carl Carrington
The Blue Endeavour pilot pens being towed to their ‘staging site’ at Waihinau Bay, Pelorus Sound. The pens were launched and towed to the bay in April 2025. From here they will be towed to the Blue Endeavour site in the open ocean in November 2025.
One of the Blue Endeavour pilot pens being towed to the ‘staging site’ at Waihinau Bay, Pelorus Sound. The two pens were launched and towed to the bay in April 2025. From here they will be towed to the Blue Endeavour site in the open ocean in November 2025.
The Blue Endeavour pilot pens being towed to their ‘staging site’ at Waihinau Bay, Pelorus Sound. The pens were launched and towed to the bay in April 2025. From here they will be towed to the Blue Endeavour site in the open ocean in November 2025.
Top: Concept image of how one of two Blue Endeavour block of 10 pens will look when securely moored and operational in the open ocean 7km off Cape Lambert outside the Marlborough Sounds.
Bottom: Concept image of how a Blue Endeavour aquaculture pen will look when submerged in the open ocean 7km off Cape Lambert outside the Marlborough Sounds.