With a great deal of regret, the owners and organisers of the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show today announce the official cancellation of the 2020 show.
This will be the first time in the show’s 65-year history that it has not been held. Since our first show in 1956 and despite rain, floods, wind, lakes that burst, tax changes and the GFC, the show has always gone ahead. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19, that will not be possible this year.
Despite having incurred significant and unrecoverable costs, the owners are today able to announce that the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show will refund in full all exhibitors’ deposits and all public entry tickets bought on-line. The details of this are now being finalised and will be announced shortly.
The show’s owners and organisers are acutely aware of the hardship and uncertainty being experienced right across the country and in the marine industry at this time.
“We understand the challenges the show’s cancellation will cause our valued exhibitors. We know that, for the last 65 years, you have come to rely on the show as a central piece of your annual marketing and sales initiatives and we are sorry that we cannot fulfill that role this year”, says show organiser David Gibbs.
“To the public who support the show in your tens of thousands each year, we also apologise we are not able to run the 2020 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show for you and we look forward to seeing you next May 13-16 at the 2021 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show”, he addes.
At this stage the Auckland On Water Boat Show is still scheduled to be held Sept 17-20 in Auckland downtown Viaduct Basin. According to NZ Marine, CEO, Peter Busfield the show will run unless other-wise directed by government. With the cancellation of the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, he says that they may also look at trying to extend the footprint of the show to accommodate more of the trailer boat sector, which traditionally support the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show.
