Fundraising auction for families of fishermen lost at sea

The New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen held their annual conference at the beginning of June in Blenheim. The conference brings fishers and supporters together from across New Zealand to network and catch up on the latest issues and recent innovations related to fishing and the marine environment.

 ENL are proud to be a NZFCF member and a GOLD Sponsor of the annual event. Running concurrent to the conference is a trade exhibition for suppliers to present their wares to fishers, where ENL featured leading brands, including FURUNO, WASSP, TIMEZERO & MARPORT. Richard Bowe, Stephen Rutherford & Dave James represented ENL at the event.

The conference day is followed by a traditional Fish & Chip dinner, which has been held for over 50 years, which is then followed by the NZ Shipwreck Trust auction.

Shipwreck Auction Fundraiser

ENL has a longstanding relationship with NZ Federation of Commercial Fishermen and supporting their annual Shipwreck Welfare Trust auction fundraiser. For such a worthy cause, ENL are always happy to arrange equipment from our key partners for the auction. 

This year ENL donated a TimeZero Professional software suite with PBG, Charting and High-Res Bathymetric data and a FURUNO FCV-588 Fish finder. 

Combined, they fetched $5,400 at auction! 

In total the 2023 auction raised over $40,000 to help families of fishermen lost at sea!

NZ Shipwreck Welfare Trust History

Prior to 1900, there were some 1200 shipwrecks around the New Zealand coast and there were many heart-breaking public appeals to raise monies for those lost or dependent. In 1902 the Mayor of Dunedin held a public meeting to set up a permanent shipwreck fund, rather than undertake individual appeals. From this meeting the Shipwreck Relief Society of New Zealand was formed and over the following 96 years it continued to play a unique, unobtrusive welfare role in providing immediate financial support to widows and families effected by shipwrecks and mishaps at sea around the New Zealand coast. New Zealand based shipping and fishing companies, Port Authorities, and more latterly the Federation of Commercial Fishermen, as well as the general public, have provided much of the funding over the years. The Society, and its successor the New Zealand Shipwreck Welfare Trust from 1998, has given assistance to all the more prominent shipwrecks such as the Penguin 1909, Wimmera 1918, Manuka 1929, Niagara 1940, Holmglen 1959, Kaitawa 1966, Wahine 1968, and the Kotuku2006, plus many smaller craft, mainly fishing vessels. In addition to providing financial assistance to dependents the Trust gives prominence to the promotion of safety at sea, as well as creating awareness of safety issues amongst seafarers.