Derrick Paull

Derrick is a dad, business owner, barbecue champion, former magazine editor and passionate fisher based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Born on Auckland’s North Shore, Derrick spent his youth in and on the water, enjoying the marine environment Aotearoa New Zealand has to offer. 

Derrick took his passion for fishing very seriously, representing our non-commercial fishers in various roles with local and national bodies. This included being a board member and vice-chair of the New Zealand Angling and Casting Association and the Recreational Fishing Council over a 10-year period.

Derrick used his knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to co-found, edit and publish an online fishing magazine, delivering it monthly for free to tens of thousands of Kiwi fishers.

He completed his postgraduate study in Business in 2025 and now manages his own distribution business. He shares his fisheries knowledge with several recreational fishing advocacy groups to rebalance how fisheries and ecosystems are managed.

Outside of work and fishing, Derrick is the Board Chair of his local intermediate school, and coaches the local high school cricket team, dedicating hundreds of hours each year to his local community.

Derrick’s relationship with Opportunity began in 2017, when he worked on Fisheries policy with former leader Geoff Simmons, and he has been a supporter ever since.