Tauranga Marine Industry Association

The Tauranga Marine Industry Association (TMIA) is an industry cluster group set up to assist members to grow their businesses, through networking, referrals and sharing technical expertise. The combined resources of the cluster provide world-class marine services extending to luxury yacht and commercial fleet operators. to million dollar, 60 foot yacht built by Southern Ocean Marine in Tauranga.

The marine industry services available in Tauranga include:

Haul out facilities, berthing arrangements to 60m LOA; full dockside service and marina facilities; travel lifts and hard stands; extended refit facility and bonded stores for ship’s spares.
The full services of blasting (water, soda, sand and shot); painting (spray and varnish); hull repairs, interior and exterior joinery and carpentry; hydraulics and pneumatics; mechanical and general engineering; stevedoring; brokerage; ship’s agents; cartage and haulage; underwater services (diving); on-the-water petrol and diesel refuelling facilities; and pilotage exemptions and advice.
Tauranga Bridge Marina has one of the largest selections of berth sizes in the South Pacific.
Tauranga boat builders such as, Southern Ocean Marine, and Hutcheson Boatbuilders, build new boats for export from top of the line luxury launches to ocean racing yachts. Others are producing inflatables, aluminium boats, catamarans, barges and fishing vessels.
A purpose-built dry-stack building is available with storage for up to 200 boats of up to 10 metres in length. The secure facility is open seven days a week and staffed by trained dry stack operators who have boats in the water and ready to go 45 minutes after receiving instructions. There is no additional costs for launching or retrieving boats from the water. There is a strong service sector completing maintenance work on existing boats, including fishing boats and the 30-40 overseas cruising yachts that call into Tauranga throughout the year. One of those companies is Hutcheson Boat Builders, which has been operating since 1993. The company is renowned for its broad spectrum of expertise working on varying designs of new boats, repairing and maintaining existing boats, and also specialising in shipwright work.

The advantages of working out of the Western Bay of Plenty Region include:

It is an official New Zealand point of entry/exit.
It is a point for tenders to drop off and pick up guests and crew.
It is popular with all manner of sailing vessels, and cruising yachts in particular, because all facilities are available in a defined and close area (i.e. boatyards, chandleries, sail-makers).
The cost of ‘slipping’ is favourable to overseas customers because of the favourable exchange rate.
The exchange rate also affects the high tech marine paints and other quality products, which are available here much cheaper than overseas.
There are two sail makers, one rigger, three chandlery stores and over 10 boat builders working from the region. If you would like to join the Tauranga Marine Industry Association or would like further information on what they do, email; tmsa@xtra.co.nz