New Interactive Map Showcases Whangārei’s Marine Industry

A new interactive map highlighting Whangārei’s diverse and growing marine industry has just been released. Launched at the 2024 Whangārei Maritime Festival, the map was developed through a volunteer-led initiative by the Black Ball Yacht Club. It offers a detailed overview of local marine businesses, services, job opportunities, and investment potential across the region. The project aims to strengthen connections within the industry, inform the public, and support long-term growth by addressing the lack of accessible, up-to-date data on the sector.

Findings

Of 105 businesses identified, a total of 53 survey responses were gathered. Most respondents identified as being "almost entirely in the marine sector", reflecting the fact that the collected sample represents the marine sector well. The data suggests that there are three marine clusters in the Whangarei District: The largest around the Whangarei Town Basin Marina and down Port Road, the next largest around Marsden Cove Marina, and the smallest being around Tutukaka Marina. The Whangarei District's marine industry mostly comprises small to mid-sized enterprises, with large-scale operations also being present. The fabrication, maintenance and repair category is the largest service category in terms of businesses and employees. The fabrication, maintenance and repair sub-sector is concentrated in and around the Whangarei Town Basin Marina and Port Road areas. This portrays the sector's focus on vessel maintenance and support services rather than tourism or leisure. The number of surveyed businesses/organisations that offer traineeships is in the slight minority (about 47%). The vast majority of businesses offering traineeships answered as being ‘almost entirely engaged. 

Click here for the full report.

Take a look at the map here.