COME ON, PANUKU

The committee of the Classic Yacht Association of New Zealand (CYA) has read with increasing concern the recent articles published in Boating New Zealand regarding the future of the Percy Vos boatyard. We are particularly alarmed at comments from Panuku that seem to indicate they now have different intentions for the yard than the original business case prepared by Panuku alongside the Percy Vos Charitable Trust. Like the Trust, the CYA exists to promote and encourage the restoration, preservation and use of classic boats and wooden boatbuilding and to increase public awareness of our maritime heritage. Our modern successful marine industry is built on the foundations laid down by earlier generations of wooden boatbuilders. We still have one of the most spectacular fleets of wooden launches and yachts in the world, along with some of the finest wooden boatbuilders. The vision set out by the PVCT saw that not only wooden boatbuilding would survive, but it would flourish. Quite simply, Auckland is crying out for a home to restore, maintain, and build wooden boats, a place that will keep the traditional skills of wooden boatbuilding alive and promote our maritime heritage in a hands-on fashion to locals and visitors alike. The PVCT still has the passion, the people, and the resources (according to the article) to make it all happen. The question is whether Panuku will now fully and finally come to the party – or let a once in a lifetime opportunity slide by. CYA Committee