Tauranga takes centre stage from 11 August through to Wednesday 13 August, as the NZ Marine Industry Conference draws together innovators, industry leaders, and passionate advocates from across the marine sector. The programme goes well beyond networking, pressing into the big questions about where the industry is heading, what obstacles lie ahead, and how those obstacles might be turned to advantage.
Steering the event is Ross Blackman, a presenter with the rare ability to hold a room whether the mood calls for a good yarn or a hard conversation. His background spans sailmaking in Sydney through to running Team New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, giving him a perspective that stretches from the loft floor to the boardroom.
Sir Peter Maire returns to the conference stage for the first time since 2013, armed with fresh thinking drawn from years spent in product development, exporting, and building brands with genuine global reach. The story of how he founded Navman and carried Kiwi technology onto the world market carries practical lessons for any business with ambitions beyond New Zealand's shores.
Conrad Colman brings a mix of vision and hard-won experience to the racing conversation. The first New Zealander to complete the Vendée Globe, and the only skipper to finish that race without fossil fuels, Colman is now leading an ambitious campaign while also helping drive the Ocean Race Europe effort, a proving ground that places sustainable ocean racing on the world stage.
Sustainability and electrification run as consistent threads through the programme. Fiona Bycroft from Naut, Lindsay Faithfull from McKay, and Michael Eaglen will each speak to how electric propulsion has moved from concept into commercial operation, pointing to projects already in service, including Auckland's battery-powered ferries and the 300hp electric centre console Gamechanger, which will be on display at the conference. Mat Hooper and Colin Mitchell from Q-West Boat Builders will add perspectives on how meaningful innovation can remain straightforward for end users while still delivering substantial performance gains.
The programme is not purely focused on technology and hardware. Sam Woolford from LegaSea will push delegates to reckon with the legacy being left in New Zealand's coastal fisheries, while mental fitness advocate Jimi Hunt shifts the lens inward, raising the question of how people in a fast-moving, high-pressure industry take care of themselves.
Workforce development sits firmly on the agenda as well. Chris van der Hor will address the challenge of training the next wave of boatbuilders, riggers, and marine specialists, an issue familiar to virtually every yard and workshop across the country. Business growth and capability will be tackled by a group that includes Justin Flitter from New Zealand AI, Craig Fenton from Fenton Innovation, Joshua Tan from Export NZ, and Renee Polaczuk from NZ Export Credit, each offering grounded approaches to expanding reach, adopting new tools, and managing risk.
Running across all three days, NZ Marine's leadership will keep members informed on the association's advocacy work and strategic direction. President Tracey Stevenson, Event and Export Manager Stacey Cook, and Executive Director Peter Busfield will also provide updates on major upcoming events, including the 2026 Auckland Boat Show.
The formal sessions are only part of the story. Some of the most valuable exchanges at a gathering like this happen between presentations, where a boatbuilder compares notes with a software developer, where an environmental advocate finds common ground with a ferry designer, and where the rough outline of the next significant Kiwi export might take shape over a coffee.
When the conference closes on Wednesday, delegates will leave Tauranga carrying more than a handful of new contacts. The aim is that they head home with sharpened thinking, wider ambitions, and a stronger sense of the role New Zealand's marine industry can play on the global stage.
