Sports Fishing Competition: White Pointer Boats 35th Anniversary
Updated: 3 days ago
White Pointer Boats 35th Anniversary Sports Fishing Competition
When: Wednesday 10 to Sunday 14 February 2027
Where: Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club, 54 Esplanade, Inner Kaiti, Gisborne 4010
Entry: NZD $150 per person
Entry limit: 100 boats
Categories: Marlin and shortbill spearfish, broadbill swordfish, tuna, mahi-mahi, kingfish and snapper
Prizes: First, second and third place in each category, a Top Game Boat award and nightly spot prizes
Early bird draw: Enter before midnight on 31 October 2026 for a chance to win a $500 Hunting & Fishing voucher
Official website: https://wpbcomp-2027.netlify.app
Schedule
Wednesday 10 February: Competitor briefing in the evening
Thursday 11 to Saturday 13 February: Fishing days
Sunday 14 February: Hosted brunch and White Pointer Boats factory tour
Gisborne has a birthday celebration coming up with a distinctly local flavour: boats, fishing stories and a few early starts.
White Pointer Boats is promoting its 10–14 February 2027 event as its 35th Anniversary Sports Fishing Competition.
The company is Gisborne’s own boat manufacturer, founded by boatbuilder Rex Briant.
Its early work included commercial craft for the local port, before the business developed boats for recreational and offshore fishing.
By 2024, more than 600 boats had left its Gisborne factory.
The competition is expected to bring 200 to 300 competitors from New Zealand and Australia, with up to 100 boats eligible to enter.
The Gisborne Tatapouri Sports Fishing Club is partnering with White Pointer Boats and will host the event at its clubrooms, with the official weigh station on hand for the catch and the stories that come with it.
Anglers can compete across six categories, from marlin and broadbill swordfish to tuna, kingfish and snapper.
There are placings for first, second and third in each category, plus a Top Game Boat award for the most points over the three fishing days.
Nightly spot prizes add another reason to be back at the clubrooms when the day is done.
Sunday offers a change of pace, with a hosted brunch and a tour of the White Pointer factory in Awapuni.
It’s a chance to see the local boatbuilding operation behind the boats before crews head home or carry on with their February fishing plans.
In Gisborne, a fishing competition is never short of conversation.
There’ll be the forecast, the gear, the one that got away, and the question of whether the biggest fish was actually that big.
The weigh station may settle the last point.
The rest is up to the crew.
For entry details, categories and updates, visit the official event website.
