Northland mudfish crowned Fish of the Year after last-minute voting surge

Threatened Northland mudfish takes out Fish of the Year crown after late surge. Photo / Patricia Hawkins, Mountains to Sea

The Northland mudfish may be New Zealand’s Fish of the Year, but it won’t be replacing the Taniwha as the name of the Northland rugby team.

The tiny, mud-dwelling fish from Northland pulled off a last-minute upset in this year’s Fish of the Year, sparking local celebration and even a tongue-in-cheek naming suggestion from Northland Rugby Union.

Northland Rugby Union said the name suggestion was made in good spirit, to help build engagement around “a great local conservation story and to celebrate something uniquely Northland”.

The Northland mudfish surged to the lead in the final 24 hours of the competition, beating the longfin eel (tuna kūwharuwharu), which entered the final weekend 100 votes ahead.

Northland Rugby Union made a tongue-in-cheek post during the Fish of the Year competition.

Kristin Fraser, Northland Rugby Union’s commercial, marketing and hospitality manager, said while they had a bit of fun suggesting the rename, the Northland Taniwha will very much remain the Northland Taniwha heading into the 2026 NPC season.

“The Taniwha name carries deep cultural meaning for Northland Rugby and for Te Tai Tokerau.

“Our high-performance teams are intentionally named after powerful symbols of this region, the Taniwha [NPC] and the Kauri [FPC], representing strength, guardianship, resilience, and deep connection to place. Those identities are something we are very proud of and they aren’t changing.”

She said they will still be celebrating the win and the awareness it has created.

“The Northland mudfish is a pretty special little local champion, and we love that a species from our own wetlands captured the imagination of people across the country. If our light-hearted comment helped bring a bit more attention to that, then that’s a win in itself.”

While we won’t see the Northland Mudfish running out at Semenoff Stadium this NPC, we may see the mudfish getting a few shout-outs along the way, and possibly its own merch run, Fraser added.

The mudfish took the crown from the blobfish, whose viral 2025 victory took the competition to an international audience.

The mudfish prevailed despite vigorous campaigning from its competitors, with 5896 New Zealanders casting their vote, a new record.

Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, who run the annual poll, said the decision by Northland Regional Council (NRC) to back the fish proved pivotal.

NRC spokesperson and Environmental Monitoring Officer – Coastal Nick Bamford was grateful to Northlanders and New Zealanders who got behind the mudfish.

“Thank you all so much for supporting a secretive, sleepy little fish from Taitokerau and taking the time to vote! We are so lucky to have two species of mudfish in our rohe (the Northland and black mudfish), so this win is a nod to them both.”

Despite growing no longer than 15cm, the mudfish overcame heavyweight pace-setters big belly seahorse, whale shark, and longfin eel on its way to victory. It also outlasted controversial late “Honorary Fish” entrant Jono Ridler, who swam gamely into fifth place with support from Live Ocean.

Mountains to Sea Conservation Trusts spokesperson Grac Coyle said they were, “...very proud at how well the longfin eel did throughout the competition and we would have loved the crown. Thank you for the aroha that the tuna kūwharuwharu received from our community! These taonga are clearly well loved and have a place in the hearts of people across Aotearoa.”

Mountains to Sea Poutokomanawa (Co-Director) Samara Nicholas said the Northland Mudfish is the first freshwater fish to win the competition, and it’s also the smallest winner ever.

“We’re happy such a quirky little critter sparked peoples’ imagination.”

She said the victory shines a spotlight on the five mudfish species in New Zealand, and the battles they face for survival.