The report said that Refining NZ servicing requirements had shielded the region's specialised manufacturing industry from national decline, caused by a drop in international demand after the global financial crisis.
This had been compounded in New Zealand by a high exchange currency and offshore competition.
While the authors of the report, Martin Jenkins Consultants, said the Whangarei Marine Promotions Group was helping the industry to work on boat servicing projects, there was limited industry collaboration around marketing and facility development, despite the obvious benefits, with marine industry demand from China, North America, Europe and Russia on the up.
Previous attempts to pull the industry together to make bids for larger projects or facility investment had failed.
The region's existing facilities had a "closed shop" nature, they said.
"Northland already has a track record and reputation for innovation and quality engineering, building, repair, refit and in particular custom builds, repair and refit of small boats visiting New Zealand," the report said, as well as the repair and maintenance of ferries, sightseeing and work boats.
The region also offered attractions for visiting boat and yacht owners and had more available land for the work than competitors in Auckland.
Northland also boasted deep-water and convenient harbour access and was the closest marine-engineering precinct to the southern cruising routes.
Major expansion projects are also in the works.
Far North Holdings is increasing Opua Marina by 173 berths (it already has 245 privately owned berths). Consent was granted in October for the new berths, dredging the seabed within the marina footprint, a 1ha reclamation to support new facilities, and for the main pier to be extended.
Opua Marina has a 50-tonne, 5.2m travel lift, a 17-tonne trailer for catamarans and a 100-tonne, 9.7m slipway for vessels up to 35m.
In Whangarei, Port Nikau's 101ha site at the former Whangarei port facilities has 670 metres of commercial berthage available, suitable for fishing boats, commercial ships, yachts and launches, superyachts, work boats and charter vessels.
Oceania Marine is developing a Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre at the south shipyard to offer haul-out, hardstand, storage and refit services to smaller vessels.
Further investment would be needed if Northland was to claim a slice of the growth pie.
Marine firms are mostly based at Whangarei and Opua harbours, with 244 employed in boatbuilding and repair services, 171 working in metal fabrication and manufacturing, 161 working in structural-steel fabricating, 137 in aluminium-product manufacturing and 32 in other structural metal product manufacturing.
The report stated that there was annual growth of 4.2 per cent in the region's engineering design and engineering consulting services sector, which employed 414 people.
It said 22.8 per cent annual growth was seen in the sector involving rigid and semi-rigid polymer product manufacturing in the last 10 years, which employed 127 people.
Northland Inc chief executive David Wilson said the Growth Study provided platforms for Northland "to come together and realise the potential in the region".
"We must now look to put the mechanisms in place that will do just that," Mr Wilson said.
Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai said that the study was "possibly the most important economic development document ever formulated for Northland and gives focus for our region going forward".
"The eyes of Wellington are currently focused firmly in our direction, and our region's leaders want to capitalise on that," she said.
