May June 2020 Marina World

CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Glass half full for NZ
marina operators
Yachting and maritime pastimes have a history of thriving in times of hardship.
Many of New Zealand’s yacht clubs and sailing classes came out of the
depression and post-WW2 years. They were founded in the days where there
were fewer travel and lifestyle opportunities and, for this same reason, the
marine and marina industries in New Zealand could be part of the country’s
economic recovery today.
On the eve of the move to the relative
freedom of Level 2 [12 th May], and even
after seven weeks of strict lockdown,
there is a lot of reason for optimism for
the marine and marina industries, say
operators of the country’s marinas at
a meeting of the New Zealand Marina
Operators Association (NZMOA)
Executive.
“Right now we are focused on
measures to eliminate COVID, to get
out of lockdown as quickly as possible,”
says Andrew Welsh, general manager
at Wellington’s Chaffers Marina. “We all
need to play the game to get out of it
quickly.”
Assuming that New Zealand’s
lockdown is successful, what will the
‘new normal’ look like for the marina
industry and those it supports, including
its customers, commercial tenants,
marine suppliers, marina contractors
and its staff?
Andrew Wilkes is owner-operator
of the stainless steel engineering firm
Dixon Manufacturing. He has noticed
that while no marina related projects
have been cancelled (some have been
postponed) there is a pulling back on
other projects that has put strain on
small-medium sized businesses like
his. This includes some cancelled
boat builds and the cancellation of the
annual Hutchwilco Boat Show in May.
Wilkes says it’s too early to tell
what the industry will look like, but he
expects we will have a clearer picture in
the next two months.
Generally, however, Wilkes – even
as a business owner – sees reason to
be positive. For one thing, many New
Zealanders who cannot travel overseas
will have more opportunity to use their
boats, and with that they will need
to maintain, upgrade
and provision them,
spending money with
New Zealand businesses
in the process. The
reduced price of fuel is
helpful to those who own
powerboats too.
This is also the mindset
of Tom Warren, director
of Heron Construction,
which specialises in
building marinas all
around the country.
Left: Port Opua, Bay of Islands Marina, is
located in a stunning natural environment
where boating is a very popular pastime.
Below: Picton, one of the Marlborough
Sounds Marinas, is a busy boating hub.
Warren also sits on the board of New
Zealand Marine.
“People will still enjoy getting out on
the ocean, it is part of the New Zealand
psyche. I believe the marine sector will
be vibrant,” he notes.
Two months ago, many of New
Zealand’s marinas had redevelopment
or expansion projects planned or
underway, to accommodate more
boats, commercial buildings, and to
improve environmental outcomes.
While Warren foresees slow down
in some waterfront infrastructure
projects - the Marlborough region, for
example, is now rethinking some of its
programmes - he confirms there is a
long term shortage of marina berths in
the country and demand remains high.
Marina consultant Phil Wardale
is on the cusp of starting two new
waterfront projects with support from the
government’s Provincial Growth Fund.
He concedes there are unknowns. “We
are now going into one of the biggest
recessions the world has seen. We know
it’s there but we won’t feel it for a little
while,” he observes. “There are people
who were doing well who now don’t have
businesses. As an industry, we need to
ensure that we choose to support New
Zealand businesses and New Zealand
people however we can, and that our
projects are designed to do this.”
Chris Galbraith is general manager
of Far North Holdings and chair of
NZMOA. From his position in the Bay
of Islands, he believes that despite
stresses in the economy, the industry
is fortunate to have a passionate group
of New Zealanders who love boating.
“Even in a depression or recession, we
can get out on our boats,” he says, “and
spend money on them.”
34
www.marinaworld.com - May/June 2020