One of New Zealand’s most recognisable tourist attractions, the Shotover Jet, is looking to the future as it invests in electrification capabilities to take it into the next generation.
The attraction has just marked six decades of thrill-seeking, jetboat action since it was launched in August 1965 by the Melhop brothers.
It’s carried more than 4.6 million passengers down the Shotover River canyon on its fleet of seven jetboats, which are currently powered by two 350 Mercruiser V8s boasting 700 horsepower combined.
As Shotover Jet business manager Donald Boyer explained, the next mission for him and the business is the electrification of its jetboat fleet.
Originally revealed back in 2022, a prototype of the carbon-free jet made a splash around Lake Wakatipu before it was tested on the Shotover River.
Boyer explained that while the data gained from the test was very useful, they learned the weight limit is a key challenge in making the boats electric.
He said fixing that issue relies on new technologies being created.
“It’s only a case of holding on for a few years and then the technology will be where we need it to be. While we wait for that, there’s still quite a lot of mahi going on in the background with design and research of electric motors and controllers.
“One of the big changes we’ve had since I’ve been managing this business is moving to a V8 engine that uses around 30% less fuel than the previous model.”
Originally a baker before joining the team in Queenstown, Boyer has worked in various roles across the business over the last 10 years, including as groundskeeper, before he eventually drove full time for eight years. He has completed roughly 5500 trips in his time at the business.
“I’m very fortunate to have had this journey because when the team talk to me about something they experienced on the river or challenges with the system at the front desk, I’ve probably worked in their role or a role that’s similar, so I understand what they’re talking about,” Boyer said.
The training regime for drivers is intense: they have to complete a minimum of 120 hours of training with an instructor over three to four months before they can drive passengers. It’s more than double the 50 hours needed to get a licence with Maritime New Zealand.
“Once you become proficient, the most enjoyable part of your day is when you’re driving down the river with 14 passengers on board.
“You need to be driving very precisely and very accurately, but it’s like any job, once you get your head around it and you get proficient, you’re just making sure you’re sticking to those standards and it becomes like the back of your hand.”
Famous passengers who have taken a spin over the last 60 years include members of the British royal family and NZ’s own Emirates Team New Zealand, but as Ngāi Tahu Tourism general manager Jolanda Cave explained, the most important passengers have come from the local community.
“When we have our open days for our local community and start to see those who live in Queenstown get on board and enjoy what it is that we offer, they’re actually the most rewarding days,” Cave said.
Cave has been working with Shotover for 10 years, originally relocating her entire family from Auckland to live in Queenstown.
She remembers being “incredibly happy” in her previous job, but the opportunity to work for Shotover and Ngāi Tahu was too big to pass up.
Ngāi Tahu became majority shareholders of the Shotover Jet operation in 1999, before securing full ownership in 2004.
The iwi has built up a portfolio of tourism and other businesses with its $170 million Treaty of Waitangi settlement, employing 261 people across the division.
Its portfolio includes the All Blacks Experience, Hollyford Wilderness Experience, Guided Walks NZ, Dart River Adventures, Dark Sky Project, Franz Josef Glacier Guides, Hukafalls Jet, Agrodome and the National Kiwi Hatchery.
In its 2024 annual report, the iwi stated the tourism division had increased its revenue 49% year-on-year, delivering an operating surplus of $4.8m.
The group reported total revenue across its seven business units of $347.3m for the 2023-24 financial year, down from $372.8m the year prior.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the business, as with many others in the Queenstown region.
At the time, 309 jobs were cut across Ngāi Tahu Tourism’s operations. Thankfully, green shoots are now appearing, Cave believes.
“I think for Shotover absolutely, they’ve been really fortunate that Queenstown as a destination has returned a lot quicker than the rest of Aotearoa, and it’s just had numbers slightly above a pre-Covid environment.
“But with that we also need to be really mindful of our licence to operate, because in those years in a post-Covid environment it was our local domestic market that kept our doors open and really looked after us.”
Cave said the business has a unique point of difference that she can’t help but be proud of.
“You can’t help but fall in love with the product itself and the fact that it’s been around for so long and it always continues to try and be better and evolve.
“Every time of year that you go on it, it’ll be a completely different trip. We have so many multi-generations that come with their children, their grandchildren, or they did it when they were young and they want to do it again. Every time it blows their mind and it’s the trip of a lifetime.”
As part of Shotover’s 60th birthday celebrations, a newly produced documentary tracing its journey from humble beginnings aired in Queenstown on Saturday. It will also be screened throughout October aboard Air New Zealand via the Tiaki Channel.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.