Southern Spars recruits internationally for Am Cup projects

Southern Spars has a major presence as spar supplier in the Super Series 52 class © Martinez Studio / 52 Super Series

The worlds leading spar manufacturer, Southern Spars has bulging order books and is looking for skilled staff for a range of roles.

As well as receiving a boost from the America's Cup in Auckland, Southern Spars - along with others in the marine industry has many other projects underway outside of the Cup orders - providing stability of employment for those in the marine industry interested in emigrating to New Zealand. Click here for more on the projects underway in Southern Spars.

The recent announcement that a new superyacht servicing facility will be built in downtown Auckland, adjacent to the America's Cup bases, ensures that servicing projects will grow exponentially once it opens in 2020. Currently the NZ Marine industry is a $1.5billion a year industry and this is on course to lift to $2billion per year by 2021.

One of Southern Spars projects outside the marine industry was to design and develop newer faster wheels for the NZ Track Cycling team - photo © Southern Spars

If you are interested in knowing more about work and careers at Southern Spars send a CV or outline of your experience to

The NZ Herald reports:

Southern Spars has a busy couple of years ahead but a "chronic" labour shortage may stall the speed of progress.

The West Auckland-based boat manufacturer is not only building the masts and rigging for Team New Zealand's giant foiling monohull for the 2021 America's Cup in Auckland, it is also doing the same for most competing teams.

In addition to work for America's Cup, the company is working on a "big project" believed to be for a superyacht owned by one of the world's wealthiest.

Mark Hauser, Southern Spars co-founder and managing director, says his team of 250 will be "all-go" in the two-and-a-half-year up lead up to the regatta.

Hauser says labour is an issue currently with a shortage of staff. The company is looking overseas to bring in the at least 30 workers needed.

"It's going to slow us down - it's going to hold us up," he says.

"Unemployment here is so low and the construction industry has taken a lot of our people.

"We're looking everywhere."

Southern Spars' team is made up by about 30 per cent offshore workers, many from South Africa.

"We're looking all round; for designers, from composite people to fitter-wielders to machine shop guys - it's a wide skill base that we're looking for."

Work for the America's Cup began - with Team New Zealand - around eight months ago.

America's Cup projects combined are worth in excess of $15 million, says Hauser.

"At the moment we pretty much have close to three years' work in front of us."

Southern Spars has a group revenue of US$80m ($118.7m) and claims a 95 per cent share of the global race boat market.

Over the next five months through to June, the company will build the first rigs for the competing teams and send them off to Europe. The second release will be later next year and then another just before the racing starts.

For the last America's Cup event Southern Spars built the entire boat for Team New Zealand but this time it will built everything above deck. It has designed, and will build, the rigs and masts it will use.

Each mast is built over a period of 14 to 16 weeks, the equivalent of over 4000 hours of work in each.

The company has 11 projects on the go currently, plus its servicing arm.

For the rest of this story www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12201731

If you are interested in knowing more about work and careers at Southern Spars send a CV or outline of your experience to