Fish and game councils are required by the Conservation Act 1987 to advocate for the interests of anglers and hunters in the statutory planning process.

Therefore, advocacy in the public planning processes that set the rules for these environments is an important role of Fish and Game.

There is a large base of volunteer rangers (warranted officers under the Conservation Act 1987) who undertake compliance and enforcement work for the Councils.

Johnson justified the move by claiming that the government had walked away from the collaborative approach, whilst the Minister of Conservation, Nick Smith, wondered "what had changed".

The new director of Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand, Russel Norman, explained the move by Fish & Game having to watch pollution in waterways getting worse.