Kiwi inflatables sail off to flood zone

A North Shore company is exporting Kiwi ingenuity to typhoon-ravaged communities in the Philippines.

Albany-based Terminator Boats is finalising a deal to ship 40 rigid hull inflatable boats to the country.

Takapuna-based Philippines honorary consul-general Emilie Pe Shi says the sturdy boats will be used for rescue and relief operations in typhoon-plagued areas in the Philippines.

Many areas in the capital Manila and the northern provinces remain flooded more than a month after three powerful typhoons left a wide swath of death and destruction.

Mrs Shi has bought one of the 4.8 metre boats and donated it to the Philippines government.

She says a deal is being finalised to donate 40 more of the boats to flooded communities in her native country.

Food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, which has extensive business interests in the Philippines and Australia, will be financing the project.

"San Miguel Corporation has contacted us for help in sourcing rescue boats from North Shore builders who have acquired a good reputation in the market," she says.

Terminator Boats has been building boats on the Shore since 1980.

Its managing director Gary Watson is also the skipper of the Browns Bay-based North Shore Coastguard.

Mr Watson says his company specialises in safe, economical boats that deliver on both durability and performance.

"We have built relationships with many offshore companies to have our top-quality boats produced overseas, using best-performing materials to meet exacting Kiwi standards," he says.

- © Fairfax NZ News