Superyachts venture fillip for Whangarei

By DANIEL RIORDAN

Northland is set for an $80 million, 1000-job-plus boost after a group of American investors announced plans to build and service superyachts in Whangarei.

Construction of the facility on a 14ha site bought from Northland Port Corp begins on Thursday with work on the first superyacht, a $10 million catamaran, starting on November 1.

Two more catamarans, at the same price, are due to be built before the next America's Cup.

Allen Jones, an expatriate Kiwi who made his money in manufacturing in the United States and has pulled together a syndicate of unnamed private US investors to create New Zealand Yachts Ltd, said the company planned to employ 120 staff this year and more than 1000 within five years. These figures are supported by Trade NZ, the Government agency instrumental in facilitating the investment.

NZ Yachts also plans to invest in factories, residential and hotel facilities, and training to help to provide it with the workforce it needs.

The Mayor of Whangarei, Craig Brown, welcomed the initiative.

He said Whangarei had had its share of boom and bust with industry and construction work. "But this is really something substantial with the potential for long-term employment. It re-establishes Whangarei as a boatbuilding centre."

He noted the industry was a "clean" one.

Northland Regional Council chairman Jim Peters said the timing of the move, after Whangarei missed out on enticing the Navy from Devonport, could not have been better.

The decision also gives great comfort to locals already employed in the shipbuilding industry.

That includes staff of Tenix Shipbuilding, the local company doing work on the Anzac frigate project, which has less than a year to run on its contract.

The initiative is expected not only to create jobs, skilled and unskilled, but also increase training opportunities and infrastructure for the whole industry.

Plans to build new educational facilities in Whangarei to meet the increased demand for skilled marine staff are in the pipelines.

Existing superyacht builders, who last year exported yachts worth $55 million, also welcomed the move, saying heightened international awareness of New Zealand's capabilities would fatten everyone's purses.

That includes Canadian company Sovereign Yachts, which is also building superyachts before the next America's Cup using land being vacated by the Air Force at Hobsonville in West Auckland.

The company has orders for three 43m monohulls, worth $28 million to $30 million each.

Sovereign's NZ spokesman Lance Sheppard said NZ Yacht's advent was "fantastic" for the local industry and would not adversely affect Sovereign because the two companies were building for different markets.

Mr Sheppard said there could be a slight impact in the short-term in getting sufficient skilled labour, but Sovereign would bring in Canadian experts to train people such as plumbers, electricians and welders in marine applications.