In 1956, a small collection of boats was tucked into a corner of the Easter Show at the Auckland Showgrounds, more of a sideshow than a centrepiece. The 2026 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, at the Auckland Showgrounds from 14 to 17 May, marks seventy years of what grew from that beginning.
By 1957 the boats had outgrown the Easter Show and were running under their own name. By 1962 the show had introduced its famous lake, which over the years hosted water ski shows, powerboat races, a pirate ship giving rides, performing chimpanzees, and on at least one memorable occasion a helicopter dumping a monsoon bucket of water into the cockpit of an apparently unsinkable runabout.
The lake eventually proved too expensive to maintain and was retired in the early 2000s. A new pavilion in 1965, a move to Queens Birthday Weekend in 1985, a shift to mid-May in 2007. The name changed several times, from the Auckland Easter Show Boat Show to the Auckland Boat and Caravan Show to the New Zealand National Boat Show, landing on the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show in 2001, the same year a gala Boat of the Show Awards Evening was introduced. In 2011, it took out best boat show in Australasia.
XPO Exhibitions took over from the Auckland Water Ski Club in 2022 and immediately found itself in a High Court case over the future of the Auckland Showgrounds itself, after moves to repurpose the site. The show’s 70-year history of community events was central to the argument, and XPO prevailed.
This year’s show makes the most of the anniversary. A curated display of classic and heritage vessels traces how far New Zealand boating has come. A one-off Boat Show Movie Theatre screens historic footage from across the decades. Anniversary prizes and giveaways round out the celebration.
“This show has always been more than what’s on the water,” said Helen Kay, General Manager at XPO. “It’s about the people who live for it. Seventy years on, that passion is stronger than ever.”
The 2026 Grand Prize package is valued at over $380,000. Entry is free with a registered ticket, scanned at the show’s designated points before 4pm on Sunday 17 May.
The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show runs Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 May at the Auckland Showgrounds, 10am to 6pm daily, closing at 5pm on Sunday. Tickets at boatshow.co.nz.
