Seven decades after it first opened its gates, the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show marked its 70th anniversary with four days at the Auckland Showgrounds in Epsom. The exhibition ranged from lovingly preserved heritage wooden launches to carbon fibre race boats, from amphibious trailers to wireless outboard control systems. What follows is our full coverage from across the show floor.
Celebrating seven decades of New Zealand boatbuilding
The anniversary prompted organisers to gather a collection of classic New Zealand-built vessels, a number of them still working boats despite carrying several decades on their hulls. This heritage section became one of the most photographed corners of the entire showgrounds, drawing visitors back more than once across the weekend. In between spending time there, we moved across the floor to cover new model launches, product innovations, and the industry developments that defined this year's event.
The Grand Prize: Surtees 770 Game Fisher XL
Few things at the show stopped foot traffic quite like the grand prize draw centrepiece.
The prize on offer is the Surtees 770 Game Fisher XL, a fully outfitted offshore aluminium build drawing on INEX Metals construction, Metro Glass glazing, PPG paint, a Brave Design wrap, and Batavian SeaDek decking. The enclosed cabin opens through bi-fold glass doors and is backed by a 400L fuel tank, a 530L water ballast system, and a 10-year hull warranty.
Propulsion comes from a Yamaha F350 4.3L V6 equipped with Helm Master EX, joystick docking control, autopilot, a variable-speed bow thruster, and a CL5 gauge display. Navigation runs through a complete Garmin suite comprising the GPSMAP 1653XSV, GMR Fantom 24 radar, GT51M-TM transducer, and Navionics Vision+, with offshore connectivity through Global Marine Starlink Mini.
The fishing fit-out includes a $10,000 Shimano rod-and-reel selection, Ocean Blue carbon tournament outriggers, a Lone Star GX3 anchor winch, and live-bait, washdown, and electrical systems from Lusty & Blundell. Creature comforts run to a Dometic drawer fridge, Icey Tek chilly bin, Fusion audio, Hella Marine lighting, and a $4,000 O'Brien watersports package. Safety gear covers an EPIRB, flares, and a 12-month Coastguard membership.
The New Zealand-made trailer is a hot-dip galvanised custom 8m unit from The Trailer Shop, rated to 3.5T GVM and carrying a 10-year structural warranty.
Mercury brings the full range, and a genuinely clever 150
Mercury arrived at Hutchwilco with a full stand and at least one product that deserved a proper look: a new 150hp four-stroke carrying a design change substantial enough to genuinely distinguish it from the outboard it replaces.
Form and Float at Hutchwilco: the DIY catamaran gets wheels
Form and Float are familiar faces at Hutchwilco. Last year the company attracted attention with its range of DIY kitset kayaks and small craft, offering a point of difference in a show environment where production boats dominate. This year they were back, this time with a new amphibious wheel system fitted to their equipment.
The system can be retrofitted to most small boats, though it pairs particularly well with the company's own DIY catamaran kitset. Submersible electric actuators handle both deployment and retraction. With the wheels pulled up, they sit completely clear of the waterline, leaving no drag and no exposed hardware. Deployed, the boat sits at roughly 25cm of ground clearance, enough for comfortable beach or ramp launching.
The actuator battery is housed within the hull, keeping the whole arrangement self-contained. A working demonstration, supported by video footage at the stand, ran through all four days of the show.
From tinny to 8-metre amphibious: Fin Chaser at the Hutchwilco Boat Show
Fin Chaser had considerably more than tinnies to show this year. Their amphibious model drew consistent attention from visitors who know precisely what a challenging low-tide ramp looks like.
Yamaha at Hutchwilco: wireless control, a new electric brand, and a very good finance rate
Yamaha came to Hutchwilco with three clear talking points: a wireless control system, a new electric marine brand making its New Zealand debut, and a finance offer aimed squarely at buyers who had not quite made up their minds.
Outside: bumper boats, food, and crowds
The Boat Launcher by Tectrax
Tectrax's latest development is the Boat Launcher, an autonomous, remote-controlled amphibious trailer.
Waterskiing boats
Born in Tauranga and built entirely from carbon fibre, the Phantom Powerboats F2 War Machine is Nic de Mey's most recent R&D race boat. The black-hulled vessel serves as a development platform aimed at the 2027 World Championships, and its stand sat directly opposite Haines Hunter on the show floor.
Haines Hunter at Hutchwilco: fibreglass amphibious at its finest
The Haines Hunter amphibious model has had a long road to completion. At this year's Hutchwilco, the finished fibreglass version made its show floor debut, and for anyone who took the time to look closely, the finish and detail on display made the development period seem entirely justified.
Expression Boatworks
Expression Boatworks operates out of Whenuapai on Auckland's northwestern fringe, producing fibreglass fishing vessels shaped by American sportfishing design philosophy and built to handle local demands, including beach launching off exposed coastlines.
Lusty & Blundell at Hutchwilco: induction cooking and a world-first trolling motor display
Time spent at the Lusty & Blundell stand is rarely wasted. This year the company presented an induction cooking solution for marine galleys alongside a trolling motor display the company describes as a world first.
Ultimate Rod Racks NZ
The new Deckline system from Ultimate Rod Racks NZ was one of the products that caught our eye on the floor. Built to carry up to three fishing rods, the Deckline incorporates a built-in stopper system that holds rods firmly in position while still allowing the rack to rotate from zero degrees through to virtually any angle. The reasoning is straightforward: when a fish is on and rods need to move quickly, the Deckline gets them out of the way without fuss.
Kingfisher Powercats at Hutchwilco: three boats, two hull types, and one very cold kill tank
Kingfisher Powercats arrived with three boats across multiple hull configurations, but the feature that kept pulling visitors in was a kill tank running at a notably low temperature.
Viking Kayaks
Viking Kayaks builds its full range in New Zealand, spanning kayak fishing and open-water adventure. Every hull is designed with performance, comfort, and safety in mind for paddlers looking to push further offshore.
The fishing hall
As in every previous year, the fishing hall remained packed with visitors from the moment doors opened to the moment they closed, across all four days.
Suzuki Marine at Hutchwilco: one product, one focus, and a prop story worth knowing
While many exhibitors spread their presence across a wide product range, Suzuki took a sharply focused approach: a single engine, a clear message, and a propeller story that gave visitors a precise understanding of why those choices were made.
Stabicraft and Jono Ridler's Swim4TheOcean
Jono Ridler completed his Swim4TheOcean campaign on Wellington's waterfront on 4 April 2026, having spent 90 days in the water and covered 1,367km. He had entered the water at North Cape on 5 January and swum the full length of the North Island's east coast without a wetsuit, pushing through dropping water temperatures, remote and exposed stretches of coastline, and sustained open-ocean conditions. The total distance covered amounts to more than 41 English Channel crossings.
The campaign ran in partnership with Live Ocean, the marine conservation charity founded by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, with the specific aim of ending bottom trawling on seamounts in New Zealand and across the South Pacific high seas. More than 67,000 New Zealanders signed the petition. Swim4TheOcean has since been recognised by the United Nations as an official Ocean Decade Activity.
The support vessel that accompanied Ridler for the duration of the swim was on display at Hutchwilco throughout the weekend.
Four days, dozens of exhibitors, and a showgrounds that rewarded anyone willing to cover the ground properly: the 2026 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show gave the industry a great deal to discuss. No single team can reach every corner of an event this size, but what we found across those four days made it clear why this show has continued to run for seven decades. We will be watching with interest to see what 2027 brings.
