Fresh fish, fast bids and a heart-filled community cause.
That’s the mix organisers are promising when the North Island Spearfishing Championships returns to the Kāpiti Coast on Saturday, February 28, 2026, with its popular fish auction again raising funds for Mary Potter Hospice.
Run by the Kāpiti Underwater Club, the annual event attracts competitors from across New Zealand. It also draws locals keen to pick up seafood that was in the water just hours earlier.
“It’s really the biggest day of the year for the club,” organiser Daniel “Huxy” Huxford said. “It’s a bloody good day for the community… all the kids see all the fish… and it brings out all different varieties of people.”
From a trailer to a curtain-sider and a big fundraising milestone
The auction’s origins were humble. Huxford said early fundraising efforts began with $242 in 2002 and sales run out of a trailer.
Today, the operation is bigger and so are the results.
“It’s out of a big curtain-sided truck, and we average probably around maybe $11,000,” Huxford said.
In 2024, the Kāpiti Underwater Club marked a major milestone of reaching $100,000 raised for Mary Potter Hospice since 2002, thanks to the combined efforts of divers, volunteers, and sponsors.
Huxford credits event creators and long-time supporters, including Pete Jones and Doug Palmer. Jones is a former club president who helped build the auction into what it is today, and local Harcourts real estate agent Palmer has been involved from the beginning and remains the auctioneer.
What to expect on the day
While the competition runs earlier, it’s the afternoon auction that many locals mark on the calendar.
The spearfishing competition is scheduled to run 9am to 3pm, followed by the fish auction from 4pm to 6pm, with prizegiving to follow.
Huxford estimates the auction can move 250 to 350 fish, potentially close to nearly a ton of fish, depending on conditions and catches on the day.
As well as fish, the auction typically includes other kai moana like crayfish and kina (sea urchin), adding variety and boosting fundraising.
And for buyers looking for a simple dinner plan, filleting is available on-site, so locals can buy a fish and take it home ready to cook that night.
“You can buy a nice, like a moki or something and then get that filleting straight away and then eat it at night… There’s no processing or nothing like that,” Huxford said.
More than fundraising, feeding whānau and reducing waste
While proceeds go to Mary Potter Hospice, Huxford said the event has also focused on keeping seafood affordable for locals and making sure as much as possible is used.
This year, organisers have partnered with Kai Ika, a charity that redistributes fish heads and frames to people who can use them, shifting leftover fish parts away from being dumped or sent to farms.
“They take all the fish heads and they distribute them out to the local community as well, so it’s a win-win for everyone,” Huxford said.
A special connection to Mary Potter
For Huxford and the organising committee, the hospice connection is personal and increasingly so.
In the past few years, he said club members and their families have relied on Mary Potter services.
“It’s just that feel-good… you can be proud and just know that you’ve done your bit.”
A volunteer-heavy effort and a boost for local business
Huxford said planning starts months out, with a committee of about six beginning work around October, backed by a big crew of volunteers on the day.
Organisers are also continuing to secure sponsorship, reporting around $16,000 in sponsorship, contributing to a prize pool of about $20,000.
Beyond the club, Huxford said the event brings visitors into the region, supporting local accommodation and hospitality.
The bottom line
Whether you’re there for the sport, the spectacle, or the seafood bargains, organisers say the goal is simple, a community day out that does real good.
“We have a beer at the end of the day and we’ve done something good for a few charities,” Huxford said.
The North Island Spearfishing Championships takes place Saturday, February 28, 2026, with the fish auction scheduled for 4pm.