Boardmakers wipe out

Roger Hall says New Zealand has a unique coastline and surfing culture. Photo / Northern Advocate

A wave of cheap Chinese-made surfboards is wiping out the local industry, say leading New Zealand boardmakers.

An imported full-size board can sell for $600 or less, with a locally-made hand-crafted equivalent costing about twice that.

This has angered the local manufacturing community, with industry veterans taking a hit.

Roger Hall, from Ruakaka-based Surfline surfboards, has been shaping - hand-crafting - surfboards for 40 years.

He said there had been a "thinning out" of New Zealand manufacturers in the past five years. He blamed an influx of mass-produced, cheap Chinese boards. Other boards were imported from Thailand but were of a higher quality, boardmakers said.

"The danger that I see is New Zealand will lose its surfing cultural identity," said Hall.

"That would be a real shame because New Zealand has a unique coastline and personality and history and culture."

Industry veteran Mike Thomson said the topic had got everyone hot under the collar.

The Raglan-based shaper said high street retailers had taken the whole learner market, putting locals out of business.

Thomson said although there were many backyard boardmakers there were only about 20 full-time shapers, and about as many importers.

"We're all thinning out, there's only a few left standing. Most people don't understand how long it takes to make these products."

New Plymouth shaper Nigel Dwyer said imports were wiping out board-crafting - as they had done boatbuilding and cabinetmaking. "It's totally killing the industry."

Piha shaper Mike Jolly said the amount of time each board took to shape meant Kiwi surfboard makers worked for $14 an hour.

"You can probably just give up and work for McDonald's for the same amount."

But Kiwi companies importing Chinese-made boards and selling them to retailers have hit back, denying they're of a poorer quality than those locally-made.

"It's the same as someone here who'd make them," said Coastlines executive sales manager Shaun Dunne.

"They're still shaped by hand - just by Chinese people. It's still the same process."

He said Chinese boards were a "lot cheaper".

"A lot of learners get them. Certainly a learner isn't going to go out and buy a custom-made board."

Retail insiders said the profit margin on Chinese boards was about twice that on local ones. Some conceded they were of a poorer quality but said they offset that by offering free extras.

Another said he believed there was still a niche market for handmade alternatives.