NZMOA says reopen New Zealand for world cruisers

Bay of Islands Marina supports - and is supported by - many tenant businesses

In New Zealand’s North it’s becoming apparent that too many customers – as opposed to not enough of them - could be the biggest issue for the local industry this coming summer, and NZMOA believes that safely reopening our borders to more cruisers can assist New Zealand’s economic recovery.

For obvious reason New Zealand is a safe place to spend some time while the rest of the world battles Covid-19 and the marinas that accommodate a large proportion of world cruisers in Opua and Whangarei are reporting that they are already nearing full capacity. 

“Around 60% of world cruisers already in the country are indicating that they plan to stay longer,” says Chris Galbraith, General Manager of Far North Holdings and Chair of NZMOA. 

 While New Zealand’s borders are currently closed to all incoming arrivals, Tahiti will open its borders to cruisers on 15 July, and it’s possible that Tonga and Fiji will follow suit. That willl make the South Pacific an attractive route for many vessels coming from Panama and the Galapagos Islands.

Generally between 400 and 500 cruissers visit New Zealand each summer season, contributing an average of $50,000 each to the economy. 

But with the northern marinas full, it’s also clear that there is an opportunity to entice cruisers to explore the rest of New Zealand’s coastline, and support other regional economies. 

“NZMOA is asking the government to open borders for cruisers,” says Chris.

He explains that there are five main Ports of First Arrival in New Zealand, which are working to deveop a secure way for vessels to safely complete their 14-day quarantine at dock. 

Each will have controls appropriate to its facility, and the plan will be presented to government as a solution, supporting the work also underway in this area by NZ Marine and others.