Craig and Tess Lewis have handed the Stanmore Bay dealership, where Jay MacDonald started as an apprentice in 2019, to the MacDonald family.
Craig and Tess Lewis have handed over Gulfland Marine, the Mercury and Stabicraft dealership in Stanmore Bay on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, to the MacDonald family after 29 years in charge.
Gulfland announced the change on Facebook on Saturday. The post said Craig and Tess were “passing the helm to a new generation of ownership”, and that Aaron, Marnie, Jay and Kobe MacDonald “are honoured to continue the journey they have built and to carry forward the values, service, and passion that have made Gulfland Marine such a respected part of our boating community.”
Thanking customers, suppliers and friends for their support, the post added: “The team remains, the commitment remains, and the future is bright.”
Jay MacDonald has been part of that team since September 2019, when he joined Gulfland as an apprentice marine technician. He qualified as a Mercury technician four years later, taking on the role of operations manager at the dealership this September.
Jay was named MAST Academy Outstanding Marine Graduate for 2023 after completing his qualification in power boat systems servicing and repair. At the time he was already mentoring two apprentices.
Gulfland has traded from the same site on Whangaparāoa Road since 1979. Before the Lewises it was owned by Fred Hoogveld, who became the first official dealer for Lance Fink’s Tristram boats when Fink was building his dealer network in the early 1990s.
Under Craig and Tess, Gulfland was named Mercury’s New Zealand Dealer of the Year for 2018, 2019 and 2023, which Mercury counts as four titles in all. Stabicraft lists it as consistently one of its largest dealers in New Zealand.
https://www.gulflandmarine.co.nz/
