Aotearoa Ocean Racing holds New Zealand's only current prospect of placing a boat in The Ocean Race 2027, and the campaign has now confirmed a formal partnership with charitable trust Ocean Regeneration Aotearoa (ORA). The collaboration brings professional offshore racing together with hands-on marine restoration, with much of the practical work centred on the Hauraki Gulf.
At the core of the arrangement is a straightforward proposition. Offshore sailors accumulate extended time at sea and frequently witness environmental shifts long before those changes enter broader public conversation. ORA exists to channel that firsthand awareness into measurable work in New Zealand waters.
Aotearoa Ocean Racing was co-founded by skipper Conrad Colman, widely recognised in New Zealand for completing the Vendée Globe without burning fossil fuel. For Colman, the connection between offshore competition and ocean health is direct rather than philosophical.
“Sailors are the eyes of the ocean. We see the changes long before they reach the headlines,” he said.
"Working with ORA gives us a way to support action, not just observation."
Racing continues to sit at the heart of the programme, yet Aotearoa Ocean Racing's leadership has made no secret of the campaign's broader ambitions. The team plans to use its public profile, its sponsor network, and the platform that international stopovers provide to direct attention toward credible, New Zealand-led restoration initiatives.
Colman's most recent competitive time on the water came during the RORC Transatlantic Race, which departed from near Marina Lanzarote and finished in Antigua. He made the crossing aboard his familiar 60-foot IMOCA, sharing the helm with a French sporting figure he had been coaching through offshore sailing in the months leading up to the race.
The arrangement worked in both directions. His co-skipper introduced Colman to a more structured approach to running and land-based fitness. A small detail in the wider picture, but a useful reminder of how seriously modern offshore programmes treat preparation that extends well beyond the boat.
The longer horizon for Aotearoa Ocean Racing is The Ocean Race, scheduled to return to Auckland in 2027. The event will once again bring New Zealand into focus for a global sailing audience, both out on the racecourse and in the host city.
ORA's restoration portfolio covers reef rehabilitation, scallop bed recovery, and regenerative seaweed farming delivered through its Greenwave Aotearoa programme. The bulk of that activity is concentrated on Tīkapa Moana, targeting improvements in seabed health, water quality, and the long-term resilience of the marine environment.
ORA director Dr Nigel Bradley sees the partnership as a bridge between international visibility and local outcomes, supporting community and iwi-led initiatives while helping to develop new funding pathways for restoration work.
"Both parties are committed to accelerating restoration, scaling impact, and creating long-term pathways for healthy oceans and resilient coastal communities," says Dr Bradley.
He adds, "ORA's mission is to benefit communities through regenerative ocean farming that improves climate outcomes, marine biodiversity and water quality whilst creating economic and social impact for coastal communities."
