The latest issue of Boating New Zealand leads with something every boatie will want in their hands. The Boat Tender Buyer's Guide 2025 is a dedicated 24-page insert surveying the best small-craft designs under five metres, taking in lightweight RIBs for family adventures, compact electric runabouts suited to quiet anchorages, and rugged, practical tenders built to match serious cruisers. It is the most thorough round-up of this season's inventive small-boat offerings you will find in one place.
Editor John Eichelsheim opens the issue on a considered note, examining how our relationship with the Hauraki Gulf is being reshaped. The newly enacted Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act introduces nineteen new protected zones, extends existing reserves at Cathedral Cove and Goat Island, and creates both high-protection areas and dedicated seafloor zones. It is the most consequential step New Zealand has taken in marine conservation in over a decade. Eichelsheim broadly welcomes the environmental gains, though he raises concerns about the inconsistency of limited ring-netting still being permitted within the framework, and he urges all boaters to get across the revised rules. A Maritime Law column launching next month will cover the practicalities in detail, including the implications of inadvertently entering a protected zone or a cable area.
The issue has plenty, too, for readers drawn to speed and engineering ambition. The Archer Cup has launched the 2025-26 Offshore Powerboat Championships at Gulf Harbour, drawing a new generation of competitors into the discipline. In Christchurch, HamiltonJet has opened a substantial new 7,500-square-metre facility, a major commitment to Kiwi marine engineering. The company's jet propulsion systems drive an impressive spread of vessels internationally, from navy patrol craft to hybrid ferries.
That same appetite for innovation runs through the reviews and features. Mark Rothwell takes the helm of the Riviera 4300 Sports Express, a blue-water motoryacht that pairs genuine offshore capability with a playful, accessible character. Sarah Ell reports on the Smuggler Strata 800SS, an amphibious RIB that stands out for its electric-hydraulic drive and walk-through fishing platform. Alex Smith looks at the Viknes 10, a Norwegian family cruiser that wrings clever utility from its layout, while Murray Grimwood revisits the Paper Tiger class, still thriving fifty years on from its first international regatta. Kevin Cudby previews the New Zealand Jet Sprint Championships, where split-second precision and raw horsepower collide.
History and storytelling round out the edition. Harold Kidd reaches back to 1908 to examine the Rudder Cup launches of that year, and John Macfarlane continues his portrait of designer Russ Bowler. Mark Kitteridge's column The Catch unpacks the subtle science behind fishing line selection, territory many anglers rarely stop to consider. Tom Fraser's Getting Saucy celebrates Saucy Jane, a faithful replica of Bill Hamilton's first jetboat, a craft that endures as a nod to the inventive spirit that produced it.
The Boat Tender Buyer's Guide 2025 alone makes this a worthwhile issue for the season ahead. The stories gathered here speak to a boating community that values the waters it enjoys, takes pride in the vessels it builds, and keeps its gaze fixed on the next horizon.
