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Thanks to Covid-19 more Kiwis are turning to their boats for holiday plans, and many haulouts and maintenance providers are already very busy. “Our advice to boaties is to book your contractors first and your haulout space to suit,” says Lucy Goodchap of Tauranga Bridge Marina. Pictured above: the Westhaven Floating Dock, Marsden Cove Boatyard, and the Bridge Marina Travelift in Tauranga The Floating Dock at Westhaven says they are dealing with the double whammy of catching up after Auckland’s Level 3 lockdown, and more boaties than usual planning to go boating this summer instead of travelling. The Floating Dock runs an online booking service and says that Thursdays and Fridays before weekend races are especially busy and weekend haulouts are now booked out for the rest of the year – although the Floating Dock is running a waiting list and suggests booking an overnight haulout to avoid disappointment. In Northland, Marsden Cove Marina’s boatyard is also under the pump. “It would be a wise move to book haulouts and maintenance ahead of time,” says manager Brent Wilson. “Do it sooner rather than later and if you need a boat builder, painter or rigger, start booking them now as the Northland area is already near to capacity.” Tips:
Ensuring boats are free of marine pests is critical to our work. Currently each region operates its own rules and requirements. To make this easier for boaties to follow, four of the upper North Island councils, with support from Biosecurity New Zealand, have been working on a New Zealand-first approach to pest management that will provide one clear, standard set of rules for the northernmost regions of the North Island, called the Inter-Regional Marine Pest Pathway Management Plan.
A discussion document was released for informal consultation in 2019, the feedback has been analysed and an options analysis undertaken. We are now working towards understanding the best way forward and we’ll know what that looks like around the middle of 2020. We will keep you posted.  Councils and agencies behind 'Clean Below? Good to Go' are searching marine structures, boats and shorelines for marine pests. Here is a regional round up of surveillance programmes underway, and findings this season.
 In May 2018 New Zealand became the first country in the world to introduce a nationwide standard that sets specific thresholds for biofouling of international vessels. These strict biofouling rules, called the Craft Risk Management Standard for Biofouling (CRMS-BIOFOUL), require that all commercial and recreational vessel operators prove they have managed biofouling on their vessels before they enter New Zealand waters.
The team behind Clean Below? Good to Go is proud to present the first edition of its newsletter, sharing insights and the latest news about marine biosecurity in the Upper North Island.
While we don't want to spread marine pests, we do want to spread the word. Please help us get the message through by sharing our videos and stories with your customers, members and people you know. Whether you are running a marina or boatyard, part of an environmental group or an enthusiastic supporter of marine biosecurity, all content in here can be shared on social media, or in your newsletters and websites. |
