22 May 2025
The 2025 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, held from 15-18 May at the Auckland Showgrounds, once again reaffirmed its status as the premier marine event in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our team had a ball meeting members and hearing all about your experiences with Coastguard volunteers. With over 200 exhibitors and a host of interactive experiences, the show catered to boating enthusiasts, fishing aficionados and families alike.
The team handed out dozens of spot prizes to little boaties – big thanks to Scott and Mig from Fishing & Adventure for hooking us up with some awesome giveaways! We were super impressed with how much these young ones already knew about what one should and shouldn’t have on board when heading out on the water. Hundreds of visitors entered the draw for our Holy Ship fishing trip with one lucky winner from Te Awamutu set to have an unforgettable experience on the water with Scott and Mig.
It’s always inspiring to see people upskilling and refreshing their water safety knowledge. Over the four days, hundreds of people attended our daily Bar Awareness Seminars. One of the highlights in these seminars was hearing Isabell, the original Wild Chick share how their organisation is empowering women to get out there in the wilderness with confidence.
Fishing fans were spoiled for choice at the Shimano Masterclass Series. TK and Cam Walker, Dan Govier, Chad Prentice and Matt Watson provided expert insights into success across a wide variety of fishing styles, and it was standing room only for most of the sessions.
Innovation and sustainability were key themes for this year’s event. Yamaha unveiled the world’s first hydrogen-powered prototype outboard, marking its New Zealand debut and signalling a shift towards sustainable marine propulsion. The "Let’s Unite" exhibitor function fostered industry connections, featuring live music and the induction of Dave and Veronica Gibbs into the Hall of Fame for their 24-year contribution to the show. Meanwhile, a charity auction during the event raised nearly $8,500 for LegaSea, supporting marine conservation efforts.
Thank you to the hundreds of members who renewed their membership or joined, and took advantage of the amazing show deals on boating courses and callsigns as well. Your membership information is on its way.
With the show all wrapped up we’d love to know what you’d like to see at our stand next year. Send us your feedback and suggestions to [email protected] with Boat Show Feedback as the subject line – we’re all ears!
