Westhaven News - June 2022

Why we do what we do

Marina Manager Karenza Harris attended one of the largest marina industry conferences in the world in May – the Marinas22 International Conference and Trade Exhibition. It was a fantastic opportunity to see what’s happening in marinas around the world and bring back a raft of tools and learnings. It was also a good reminder of why we do what we do, to enable Aucklanders to get out onto the water. See you out here reminds us of our happy place! You can read the wrap-up of the conference here. 

Meet the team – new staff introductions

We recently welcomed Guy Satterthwaite to the marina team as Logistics Team Leader. Guy has worked in management and logistics across a few different industries, including boat building. After many years in Australia, Guy moved his family home to Auckland five years ago. In his spare time, he is a passionate sailor and outdoors person. 

Ngapoko (Poko) Taripo joined our Customer Service team this month, taking over Toni’s old role now that she’s flown the coop to embark on her OE. Poko, who previously worked in healthcare, is deeply passionate about food and being in the water whenever she can. Poko is incredibly happy and excited to be joining the marina team, and to share our epic view of Tāmaki Makaurau. Please join us in welcoming Poko and say hi if you spot her around the marina. 

We’ve gone solar! 

If you’ve driven over the harbour bridge citybound recently, you may have noticed the new additions to the Marine Village roof. PV panels (solar panels) have been successfully installed on the roof. The solar energy generated from the PV panels will pay for itself over time with lasting benefits being the building will become more energy self-sufficient. Read more.

Meet our new edition to the environmental team – OBI-Wan CLEANOBI! 

Obi is our unmanned on-water vessel that can be deployed to clean up oil spills or remove floating trash. Obi also has onboard cameras so vessel checks can be carried out – like a drone on the water. Find more information about Obi here, and keep a look out as you might see Obi out and about on the water. 

Construction and maintenance update 

U pier refurbishment
The refurbishment of U pier is now underway. Thank you to the berth occupants who have relocated so we can undertake this work.

G, J and H pier upgrades
G, J and H piers have been in service for 41 years and require replacement to prevent failure and further deterioration. The upgrades will be done in a staged approach to allow vessels to be relocated to other piers for the duration of the works. We’ve started with G pier and vessels from this pier have been relocated and demolition is underway. The new pier installation is expected to commence in July. Boat owners on J and H piers will be contacted about relocating vessels as work progresses. 

Underground services upgrade
The work to upgrade underground services along the southern side of the marina linking to Beaumont Street is almost complete. Thanks for your patience with the traffic management that has been in place.

Z pier carpark lay down area
A section of the Z pier carpark is being used as a lay down area for the pile berth redevelopment and pier renewal projects. Z pier was chosen as the best location to store materials as it provides easy access for the barge and is a large enough area to store the material while causing the least amount of disruption. Unfortunately, at times there will be an unavoidable smell from algae attached to pontoons drying out. We hope the affects won’t last long and we will move the pontoons offsite as soon as we can. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes users of Z pier. 

Bathroom facilities upgrade 
Ablution blocks within Westhaven Marina are outdated and need to be upgraded so they are fit for purpose. Starting in June, the ablution block near T pier will be upgraded first. The toilets by piers J and C piers are next on the list to be upgraded. We apologise for any inconvenience while we undertake this work. See the following map for alternative facilities. 

Westhaven Marina customer satisfaction service survey

Thank you to the 437 customers who gave feedback in our annual customer service survey. The results are in, and the key findings are as follows:  

• Overall customer satisfaction with Westhaven Marina remains very strong with a score of 90%. 
• Overall satisfaction with marina staff remains high this year. Dockmaster staff are still the most frequently contacted by customers, and they continue to deliver high service satisfaction. 
• Satisfaction with personal and pier gate security continues to be strong. Of those concerned, comments are predominantly around gate security and access, floating walkways, boardwalks, ramps, and concerns with public access. 
• Satisfaction with facilities significantly increased this year, in terms of the condition and availability of carparks, and the condition of the floating piers and fingers. 
• Customers are generally satisfied with communication at the marina, with direct communication and the newsletter deemed the most useful touchpoints for customers. Notably, this year we saw an increase in the use of Facebook as a communication channel. In terms of useful information, some customer’s desire more regular updates around events and marina projects. Customers are moderately satisfied with the website and suggest more regular updates and improvements in the ease of site navigation. 
• Summer boat usage is on par with previous years. The increase in monthly winter boat usage seen last year has not been sustained this year, likely due to our borders opening and international travel becoming an option again for many. 

Over the next few editions of the newsletter, we will address some of the comments and feedback we received through the survey. 

Westhaven Marina fuel facility 

Did you know the GOfuel fuel facility located on Y pier offers both diesel and petrol? It features 160 lineal metres of pontoon space, six diesel bowsers and two petrol 95 octane pumps, with high and low flow options. It is the largest marine fuel facility in Aotearoa. This self-service facility accepts EFTPOS and major credit cards.

Important: Transactions at marine payment terminals are all pre-authorised by a customer’s card provider (bank). Some banks might place a "hold" of $1500 on a card-holders account prior to dispensing fuel. For most transactions, the hold is released immediately after the transaction has been completed, however some banks take longer (3-7 days) to release the hold. To avoid this, you might like to consider applying for a GOfuel Mobil Card, which gives customers discounts off the pump price at both marina and service station networks. To find out more or apply for a GOfuel Mobil Card visit: www.gofuel.co.nz/pages/fuel-cards or call 0800 42 83 83.