As a fishing charter captain, Maxwell travelled the world early in his career, competing in several international fishing competitions.
“After years of experience competing around the world, I was left disappointed in the state of fishing competitions in New Zealand, I knew we could do better.
“We have some of the most incredible game fish in the world from the Striped Marlin to the Blue Marlin, and there’s no better place to catch them than right here in the Coromandel in Autumn.”
Maxwell said Whitianga would benefit from the competition in economic terms, with $6 million spent before the event gets underway.
He estimated between 2000 and 2500 people will converge on Whitianga over the weekend.
Competitors would travel to Whitianga from across the world, including South Africa, Guatemala, the United States, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Australia to take part in the competition.
Maxwell said it was fantastic to see such a keen interest in his hometown’s natural beauty.
“This is where my fishing journey started. For me, there is no other place in the world that can host a competition of this calibre.
“I want to show the world our amazing town of Whitianga.”
The Kubota Billfish Classic has grown from a small community event into what organisers believe is the largest billfish tournament globally - based on the number of boats taking part.
Governed by ethical fishing practices, the contest prides itself on sustainability, with one of the main categories being ‘tag and release’. What was caught is identified and earmarked for scientific research before being released back into the wild.
“Game fishing isn’t what it was 30 years ago. It makes me proud to say that we have a 92 per cent tag and release rate in the tournament.
“Through the contest we are helping scientists gather information on the species of fish tagged.”
They get access to migration data, the weight of the fish from the date it was tagged, and the time it spent underwater.
With a prize pool reaching close to $2 million, the stakes are high.
“One of the highlights of the competition for me is the theatre of it all ... With big prizes on the line, all fishermen are competitive. You can see it on their faces, they want to bring home one of the big prizes for their families.”
This year’s prizes include $350,000 for the heaviest billfish, a share of the jackpot and a Kubota U48G excavator for the ‘last man standing’.
For Whitianga locals, the competition was a yearly sports spectacle but this year’s event had a special significance.
“Our community was devastated this time last year by Cyclone Gabrielle. Roads were closed, communities were cut off and the tourism and hospitality businesses really suffered.
“It was a huge blow to the community which was still reeling from the pandemic.”
Maxwell said the competition was not-for-profit and promoted ethical practices, with strict rules that must be followed by participants.
The event is set to kick off at 7.30am on March 14 with a shotgun start.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Saturday, March 16 at the waterfront.
Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald
Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.
