Maegen Blom

Meagen is the 2025 New Zealand Award Winner and as part of her professional development, she is a judge for the 2027 Award. Maegen is a 25-year-old Operations Manager at family-owned Mills Bay Mussels in Marlborough.

Passionate about the future of aquaculture and its significance in New Zealand's primary sector, Maegen is a Founding Member of Young Fish NZ, which connects young professionals in the seafood industry. She values hands-on involvement in the business while also stepping back to gain inspiration from like-minded peers.

As New Zealand's mussel industry is still relatively young at under 50 years, Maegen sees vast potential for innovation in engineering, breeding, genetics, and processing. Her goal is to continually develop Mills Bay Mussels and forge strategic partnerships across the industry to encourage collective growth.

As part of her 2025 Award prize, Maegen has completed mentoring trips in New Zealand and Australia.