The Auckland Boat Show is back (23 to 26 March) and New Zealanders are more eager than ever to support the local marine industry.
A study commissioned by NZ Marine last year showed 1.9 million New Zealanders take part in boating annually, with more than 1,540,000 boats on the water in a $2.9 billion dollar industry which is growing by an estimated 44,810 vessels per year.
“The marine industry is New Zealand’s largest non-agricultural, manufacturing industry,” says NZ Marine CEO, Peter Busfield.
“It’s an industry built on high-tech design, industry-led training and passionate people.”
The show was last run in 2019 and the intervening years have seen an explosion of innovation and booming marine sales as local marine companies have quickly worked to keep up with the demand of sea-loving New Zealanders.
That innovation will now have an outlet for display when the show kicks off next week in central Auckland. It will feature over 110 boats on the water and more than 500 marine brands on display, as well as record numbers of luxury yachts and large vessels.
Running from 23-26th March, it’s New Zealand’s largest on-water display of vessels and takes place in central Auckland’s Jellicoe Harbour. The internationally-acclaimed event is known for its sea trials – allowing those in the market for a new boat to take for-sale vessels straight from downtown Auckland and onto the Waitemata Harbour – as well as hosting New Zealand’s largest collection of luxury vessels, innovative marine launches and annual new releases within a boat show.
Large luxury yachts on display
The 2023 edition of the event will feature the largest display of Princess Yachts ever seen in New Zealand, with Sports Marine presenting a huge line up including the New Zealand debut of striking Princess models the V55, V65, V40 and F55. The Princess Yachts models will make their debut alongside Bentley’s debut at the show of the Hybrid Flying Spur; with the two brands long sharing a philosophy of luxury, performance and the best hand-crafted work Britain has to offer.
When the Princess V55 makes her New Zealand debut, show visitors will discover a striking all-new V55 with a sleek and dynamic exterior profile coupled with an intelligent use of space and all the exceptional performance qualities synonymous with the Princess V Class range.
Her main deck has been purposely designed for those who enjoy true open-boating. The expansive cockpit features a large L-shaped seating area with additional seating aft around a substantial folding teak table served by a wetbar opposite with electric barbecue. This area connects to the salon via a drop down sliding door and opening window aft of the galley, seamlessly integrating the two living areas as required. Her main deck also boasts a large sunpad located aft of the cockpit and a further foredeck seating and sunbathing area. With a top speed of 37 knots, she promises to deliver a powerful V Class sports yacht experience.
Also making her debut, the Princess V40 quintessentially showcases the sleek exterior, performance and exceptional seakeeping of the Princess V Class range. Her port light windows cascade across the length of her deep-V hull, flooding the salon and cabins with natural light. When entertaining, her spacious cockpit provides the perfect setting with the option to specify a convertible sunbed aft.
Joining the show’s large yacht line up will be Horizon Yacht’s E75; a spacious yacht with a three-stateroom layout and an enclosed skylounge configuration as well as an enviable beach garage. Boarding from the stern, where stairs lead down to the swim platform and the beach club, the aft deck offers a dinette and bar area with a pass-through window from the salon, which features a wet bar aft on this beautiful 23.2 metre motoryacht.
R Marine Flagship’s Riviera Yachts are always head-turning vessels and this year will be no exception with the standout Riviera 465 SUV and Riviera 4600 Sport Yacht on display. Riviera’s adventurer-meets-entertainer, the 465 SUV, made her world debut in 2022 and has been designed as the perfect fusion between the high performance and wide open cockpit of Riviera’s flybridge motor yachts and the luxurious single level, alfresco entertaining style of the award-winning Riviera sport yachts, letting the captain take the helm of two spectacular motor yachts in one.
Single level entertainers provide the liveability of much larger vessels; an attribute which is echoed in Riviera’s 4600 Sport Yacht. The design philosophy behind the sport yacht collection is to embody sleek styling, luxurious single-level living, and excellent sea-keeping capabilities. The 4600 Sport Yacht is a next generation edition with advanced hull design, improved power-to-weight ratio for greater fuel efficiency, and greater volume onboard. That increased volume sees 4600 Sport Yacht owners enjoy three generous staterooms including full-beam master suite, plus a spacious cockpit and salon.
Aston Martin will join the show line up, presenting the world’s fastest and most-beautiful SUV, the DBX707, alongside Crownline Boats. The perfect pairing will showcase Crownline Boats – presented by Eurocity Marine as some of the most-progressive wake surf, cruiser and crossover boats on the market today – with the equally-innovative DBX707, engineered for performance and power.
500 marine brands
The 2023 show will see exhibitors present close to 500 marine brands to a public hungry for nautical products, with boating now New Zealand’s most popular recreational activity. Statistics commissioned last year by NZ Marine showed 1.9 million people, or 40 per cent of New Zealand’s population, participate in boating each year, with show organisers keen to capitalise on the uptake in on-water activity.
Exhibiting companies are set to use the upcoming show, running from 23-26 March in Jellicoe Harbour, as a launching pad for the innovation which has exploded within New Zealand during a thriving few years in the industry. Rapid growth and record boat sales have seen the country’s boat builders create new models, boundary-pushing innovation, and a range of vessels – and ways to access them – to feed the appetite of the boating public.
Like Legacy Marine. The Whakatane-based builder has entered the market with its flagship model, the 25 metre (78ft 9in) Paragon, constructed from aluminium. It’s one of a series in the new Legacy range which also includes L35, L45 and L52 models, drawn from the boat-building pedigree of Extreme Boats, which has been manufacturing smaller aluminium trailer boats for nearly 20 years.
Shared boating
A new breed of shared boating options have burst onto the scene in the last couple of years, bringing with them a variety of shared boating styles. From an easy-to-book trailer boat monthly subscription to a clever way to access ultra-luxe boat ownership, they cover a wide range of boat use options.
They’re lower commitment, often lower investment (and lower in maintenance time) than traditional boat ownership, with options to suit the new-to-boating owner, those without space for a trailer boat at home, or those who don’t get out on the water quite as often as they’d like.
New entrant to New Zealand, Skipperi is a subscription-based service that operates via app and gives access to a fleet of 20 new Haines Hunters on the Hauraki Gulf. At the other end of the spectrum, the Yacht Collective, introduced by experienced brokerage house, 36 Degrees Brokers, is a premium syndication option offering luxury boating for a fraction of the cost with full service included.
Likewise, Your Marine offers one sixth ownership syndication with a walk-on, walk-off service. The vessels – a 1090 Evolution, a 31 Spirit and an 890 Ventura – are berthed in Westhaven with cleaning, valet and laundry included after each use in the management fee.
The show’s late summer March dates have been set to make the most of a festival on the water feel and the lead in to the new season. The show follows hot on the heels of Sail GP, running 18-19 March in Lyttelton giving marine enthusiasts back-to-back weekends of on-water events. It’s also designed to allow boaters to discover the products and services which will help them prepare for the season ahead.
Tickets to the Auckland Boat Show are on sale now and online ticket purchasers will go into the draw to win from a huge selection of prizes when they answer questions they receive with their purchase confirmation.
