New Zealand as a destination features at Fort Lauderdale show

by Kate Gordon-Smith on 1 Nov 2013 Destination New Zealand – as a brand, as a physical destination for cruising and as the home of several hundred New Zealand marine industry companies known for their superyacht refit and maintenance capabilities – will feature at this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

As the 54th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opens today, 31 October, 16 members of the New Zealand Marine Export Group are ready to capitalise on the heightened awareness of New Zealand and the country’s innovative marine sector organisations following Emirates Team New Zealand’s massive profile as the challenger for the 34th America’s Cup in September.

'With three of the four America’s Cup teams – defenders Team Oracle USA and two challengers, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge – electing to have most or all of their AC72 catamarans built in New Zealand, it’s a testament to the skilled workmanship and design capabilities of the country’s marine sector,' says Peter Busfield, executive director of the NZ Marine Industry and CEO of the NZ Marine Export Group. 'When you also consider that all three largely-New Zealand built AC72s held together to the end in those incredibly challenging sailing conditions in San Francisco, it speaks volumes about the thoroughness and attention to detail of the workmanship.'

Busfield is also pleased by evidence of the increased awareness of New Zealand as a cruising destination and as a location for yacht refits and maintenance.

'While the America’s Cup and race yachts, from Grand Prix race yachts to Olympic class dinghies, form an important race yacht-focused sector for the New Zealand marine industry, this level of technological development and design skills flow throughout New Zealand’s boat building, refit and maintenance, and associated product supply companies.

'A number of NZ Marine member companies joined together in San Francisco during the Louis Vuitton Cup finals to tell this ‘New Zealand story’ and we continue to share this message with the tens of thousands of people we’ll speak with in Fort Lauderdale.

Two central government agencies – New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Tourism New Zealand – have joined forces to promote ‘Destination New Zealand’ among the group of NZ Marine Export Group members exhibiting together in the show’s Yachting Tent.

Busfield adds: 'With assistance from NZ Marine Export Group representatives, show visitors can talk to the Destination New Zealand team to find out a wealth of information and resources for those thinking of bringing their vessel to New Zealand to cruise the scenic delights of the country’s 15,000 kilometres of coastline and/or make the most of the many award-winning service and refit facilities around the country.

'We’ll have free print and electronic copies of our recently-published book called Destination New Zealand available. It combines tourist and travel resources, detailed up-to-date information on the regulatory requirements for vessels when visiting New Zealand, and a directory of over 100 NZ Marine member companies providing design, boat building, engineering, maintenance and refit services.'

Currently over 600 smaller cruising craft (10-24 metres) and 35 superyachts (24-90 metres) visit New Zealand and these numbers continue to increase each year.

'Many NZ Marine member companies are well-known for their talents as refit providers and we see increasing numbers of yacht owners combining cruising to and around New Zealand with scheduled maintenance and refit work on their vessel,' says Busfield. 'The world-class standards of workmanship and design of numerous yachts refitted in New Zealand have been recognised through international awards presented to the yachts’ owners and the companies involved.'

The full list of NZ Marine Export Group participants at the 31 October to fourth November running of the 2013 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is:
- Alloy Yachts (Superyacht Experience #3)
- C-Quip (Yachting Tent 735)
- Destination New Zealand (Yachting Tent 737-738)
- Events Clothing (Yachting Tent 704A)
- Fusion Electronics Equipment Tent (481-482)
- Glasshape Group, DuraShield Superyacht Glass (Yachting Tent 706-707)
- Magnus Marine (Yachting Tent 738)
- Maxwell Marine (Yachting Tent 739-740)
- McMullen and Wing (Yachting Tent 733-734)
- MedAire (Yachting Tent 704-705)
- Smuggler Marine (Yachting Tent 736A)
- Stainless Downunder (Yachting Tent 708, 708A)

Also represented at the show among the NZ Marine member companies:
- IMED
- Robinson Interiors
- Oceanbridge Shipping
- Orams Marine

The NZ Marine Export Group is the export sector of the New Zealand Marine Industry Association (NZ Marine) and represents over 50 organisations which export products and services to clients around the world. See NZ Marine for more information or find us on Facebook /NewZealandMarineIndustryAssociation.