Enchanter boat tragedy: Skipper Lance Goodhew appears in Kaitāia court

Lance Goodhew, skipper of the Enchanter charter fishing vessel that sunk off the Northland coast in March 2022.

The skipper who was in charge of a fishing boat that sank and killed five men while on a charter trip off the coast of Northland has appeared in court.

Lance Goodhew, of Coopers Beach, faces a charge of exposing individuals to risk of death or serious harm. His company Enchanter Charters faces one charge under the Maritime Transport Act of operating a ship without the prescribed qualified personnel.

Court documents allege the 58-year-old did not have a current medical certificate at the time of the tragedy.

It’s also alleged Goodhew breached his duties as a worker on the vessel by leaving the Three Kings area in bad weather and by proceeding to travel around the North Cape in the manner he did. By allegedly breaching these duties Maritime New Zealand says he exposed individuals to the risk of serious injury or death.

Goodhew was meant to appear in court in April, but did not show as he had a prearranged trip which conflicted with the court date.

The Enchanter was chartered by a group of friends for a three-day fishing trip in what one described as “the trip of a lifetime”.

MetService had issued an “orange warning” for the 24 hours on that day, meaning the weather was rough with high winds and rain.

When the boat was heading back to Mangōnui, an emergency beacon was activated around 8pm.

Deckhand Kobe O’Neill said he heard a “massive thud” understood to be a large wave that hit the boat near Murimotu Island taking out the flagstaff and sinking the vessel.

The five men who lost their lives were Geoffrey James Allen, 72, Michael Patrick Lovett, 72, Richard Eldon Bright, 63, and Mark Keith Walker, 41, all from Cambridge, and Mark Kenneth Sanders, 43, from Te Awamutu.

Goodhew’s court case was adjourned today and will be called again in Kaitāia District Court in August.

This story has been changed to better clarify that one of the charges is against Goodhew and one is against his company.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tōkerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.