Subritzky operations sold to Australia

By PAM GRAHAM

The Subritzky sea transport dynasty has sold its ferries and routes in the Hauraki Gulf to an Australian company that runs ferries to Kangaroo Island, off South Australia.

The family that trace their history back to Polish royalty and smugglers and sea transport pioneers in Australasia say the deal sets up the next chapter of their history.

It allows the second generation of the branch that set up an Auckland car and passenger ferry business in 1960 to get their money out and the third generation to stay on running the business. And the sale executes a plan to transform the ferry operator, best-known for its car ferry to Waiheke Island, into a tourism company.

"At the moment ferry revenue is 100 per cent of the business but in three to five years we would like to see that somewhere between 50 per cent and 60 per cent with balance in tourism," said Michael Moore, grandson of company founders Bert and Mona Subritzky, who is staying on as chief executive.

Another grandson, Brett Subritzky, is staying on in an operations role.

Moore picked up the cheque when the sale settled yesterday. He was not saying what number was written on it.

He said the decision of the founder's children and grandchildren to sell was unanimous.

"The reason this deal has come about is Subritzky identified quite some time ago that it needed to capitalise on the tourism opportunities in and around the Hauraki Gulf.

"We set about a strategic plan to turn from a ferry company to a tourism company."

In the process, they met KI SeaLink, a privately owned company that had been down the same road some eight years earlier that had added a coach tour, travel software and travel agency business to its ferry operations.

It had a reservations and booking system that could handle package tours.

The two talked about a joint venture to develop a Coromandel service but after 18 months Subritzky ended up selling all of its trading assets to SeaLink.

They plan to tailor tourism packages into the Hauraki Gulf for international tourists travelling to Adelaide, capitalising on direct flights between Adelaide and Auckland. International tourists to New Zealand can also buy packages to Kangaroo Island, an eco-tourism destination. The Adelaide call centre will be able to take over from Subritzky's call network late in the day.

A priority will be to develop Great Barrier Island as an eco-tourist destination.

Moore said Kangaroo Island was remote and about the same size as Great Barrier. SeaLink transported about the same amount of people and cars to the island as travelled to Waiheke.

He did not see the deal as a sell out to Australia.

"Funnily enough the family started out in Australia," he said.

"It is going to be good for the company, it is about the dream and vision for the future."