This month’s issue of Boating New Zealand launches with something every boatie will want to get their hands on – the Boat Tender Buyer’s Guide 2025, a 24-page companion showcasing the best tenders up to five metres. Whether you’re after a lightweight RIB for family adventures, a compact electric runabout for quiet bays, or a rugged workhorse to match your cruiser, the guide brings together this year’s most innovative small-boat designs.
Beyond the insert, editor John Eichelsheim opens the issue with a thoughtful look at how our relationship with the Hauraki Gulf is changing. The newly passed Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act establishes nineteen new protected zones, expanding reserves at Cathedral Cove and Goat Island while adding both high-protection and seafloor areas. The changes mark New Zealand’s most significant marine-protection step in over a decade. Eichelsheim welcomes the conservation gains yet questions the inconsistency of “limited ring-netting still permitted”, urging all boaters to understand the new rules. A new Maritime Law column, launching next month, will outline what happens if you stray into one of these zones – or a cable area – without meaning to.
Elsewhere, the issue celebrates innovation and performance across the marine spectrum. The 2025–26 Offshore Powerboat Championships burst into life at Gulf Harbour with the Archer Cup, drawing a new generation of racers. Further south, HamiltonJet’s vast new 7,500-square-metre Christchurch facility represents a major leap for Kiwi marine engineering, powering vessels from navy patrol craft to hybrid ferries around the world.
That same spirit of invention runs through the features. Mark Rothwell climbs aboard the Riviera 4300 Sports Express, a blue-water motoryacht that blends performance with playfulness. Sarah Ell introduces the Smuggler Strata 800SS, an amphibious RIB with an electric-hydraulic drive and walk-through fishing platform. Alex Smith reviews Norway’s Viknes 10, a cleverly arranged family cruiser, while Murray Grimwood revisits the enduring Paper Tiger class, still thriving fifty years after its first international regatta. For pure adrenaline, Kevin Cudby previews the New Zealand Jet Sprint Championships, where precision and horsepower collide.
Heritage and storytelling round out the edition. Harold Kidd explores the Rudder Cup launches of 1908, John Macfarlane continues his portrait of designer Russ Bowler, and Mark Kitteridge’s The Catch breaks down the subtle science of fishing line. In Getting Saucy, Tom Fraser celebrates Saucy Jane, a faithful replica of Bill Hamilton’s first jetboat – a timeless nod to Kiwi ingenuity.
And don’t miss the Boat Tender Buyer’s Guide 2025 – the season’s essential reading for anyone preparing to launch, tow, or tender in style. Together, these stories capture the spirit of a boating nation: mindful of the waters we protect, proud of the boats we build, and always ready for the next adventure.
