15 Marine Electronics New Zealand Suppliers & Installers

Searching for a trustworthy place to buy or fit chartplotters, fish-finders, radar or VHF gear on this side of the Tasman can feel like steering blind. To save you trawling forum threads and ringing every chandlery in the phone book, we’ve pulled together a carefully vetted line-up of 15 marine-electronics retailers and installers that service pleasure craft and commercial operators throughout Aotearoa. Each name on the list stocks recognised brands, employs staff who know their NMEA 2000 from their NMEA 0183, and backs sales with genuine after-sales support.

Modern electronics are no longer a luxury; they’re the backbone of safe navigation, efficient fishing and reliable power management. With that in mind, we rated suppliers on six key factors: breadth of product range, technical expertise, installation credentials, nationwide reach, warranty handling and real-world customer feedback. Let’s dive in, starting with an Auckland one-stop shop that covers everything from entry-level sounders to commercial-grade navigation packages.

1. Action Outdoors – Auckland’s One-Stop Shop for Marine Electronics

Action Outdoors sits at the crossroads of old-school counter service and slick e-commerce, making it an easy first port of call for anyone hunting marine electronics in New Zealand. Walk in with a problem—you’ll walk out with gear that works, plus a plain-English plan for wiring it up.

Core Marine Electronics Range

From 4” entry-level sounders to 16” hybrid-touch multifunction displays, the shelves are stacked with:

• Chartplotters & fish-finders
• VHF, DSC and AIS radios
• Fusion stereos and speakers
• AGM, lithium and deep-cycle batteries, plus solar panels and regulators
• LED lighting, antennas, cabling and connectors

Popular brands on display include Garmin, Lowrance, Simrad, Fusion and Trojan. Because the store also sells trailer, fishing and safety kit, you can bundle a whole project in one transaction.

Storefront, Online Ordering & Nationwide Delivery

The retail shop in East Tāmaki (Mon–Fri 8 am–5 pm, Sat 9 am–1 pm) lets you eyeball hardware before buying. Prefer online? Real-time stock levels, secure checkout, click-and-collect and same-day dispatch mean gear typically reaches North Island marinas overnight and the South within 48 hours.

Value-Adds & Buyer Support

Staff-shot product videos, email advice and printable wiring tips help DIY skippers avoid rookie mistakes. The “Specials” tab and email newsletter surface clearance bargains, while pre-terminated looms and a shortlist of vetted installers bridge the gap for owners who’d rather not pick up a crimper.

2. Nav Station – Specialist Showroom & Service Centre, Whangārei

Northland skippers flock to Nav Station’s showroom on Riverside Drive for demos before opening their wallets. The family outfit has spent two decades matching boats of every kind with equipment rugged enough for the Bay of Islands to Poor Knights run.

Flagship Electronics & Brands

Live demo boards showcase Raymarine Axiom XL, B&G Vulcan, FLIR thermal cameras and KVH satellite domes, all humming on the same NMEA 2000 backbone. As an authorised service partner Nav Station handles firmware flashes and warranty repairs on-site.

On-Site & Mobile Installation

The yard’s haul-out bay lets techs dry-fit through-hull transducers and swing the compass before the boat splashes back in. If you’re on a swing mooring, their fully equipped Sprinter van travels from Tutukaka to Opua installing radar masts, autopilots and complete NMEA 2000 networks.

Training, Software Updates & After-Sales

Every new install comes with a free one-hour hand-over on the water, and annual tech-day events in Whangārei Harbour let owners trial the latest gear. Email reminders prompt you when chart updates or software patches become available.

3. Advance Trident – National Distributor With Dealer Network

Advance Trident sits upstream of most retail chandleries, importing and warehousing premium marine electronics for the whole of New Zealand. If you’ve ever bought a Furuno sounder or WASSP multibeam locally, chances are it came through their Albany distribution hub.

What They Stock & Distribute

• Furuno FAR/FR radar, MaxSea TimeZero plotting software
• WASSP multibeam sonar and SMD survey suites
• Fischer Panda gensets, Maretron monitoring and digital switching
• Commercial-grade NVT Pharos cameras and Navicom AIS

The catalogue is skewed toward commercial fishing, survey and super-yacht applications, but several pleasure-boat favourites (NavNet TZtouch, DFF-3D) are also on the shelves.

Dealer & Installer Ecosystem

Rather than selling direct, Advance Trident supports a nationwide network of accredited dealers stretching from Bluff to Whangārei. Each partner attends factory-led courses in Auckland and receives priority parts supply, ensuring installs meet NMEA 2000 and SOLAS requirements.

Why They’re on the List

With 30 years in the game, in-house engineers, a vast spares inventory and a purpose-built training centre, Advance Trident underpins many of the front-line marine electronics New Zealand skippers rely on every day.

4. East Coast Marine Electronics – Tauranga & Bay of Plenty Mobile Specialists

Operating out of Tauranga’s marine precinct, East Coast Marine Electronics (ECME) is the go-to outfit for trailer-boat owners and light commercial skippers from Waihi Beach to Ōpōtiki. Their small team of ex-sparky technicians mix retail advice with true “we’ll come to you” service.

Products & Niche Strengths

ECME keeps the bread-and-butter nav lines most Bay skippers ask for: Garmin Echomap UHD, Lowrance Elite FS, Simrad GO XSE, plus Fusion stereos, Scanstrut phone-charging brackets and Airmar CHIRP transducers. The bias is toward kit that can be installed without a full haul-out.

Mobile Workshop & Slipway Access

Two Hiace vans function as rolling workshops, each loaded with crimpers, label printers, heat-shrink and a barcode-scanned inventory. They berth regularly at Sulphur Point and Whakatāne marinas, or meet clients on-trailer at the nearest boat ramp.

Customer Perks

Free pre-purchase consults, labelled wiring diagrams left on board and a 24-hour emergency call-out keep customers loyal.

5. Bay Marine Electronics – 30 Years of Tauranga Expertise

Three decades of fault-free installs have made Bay Marine Electronics the name locals drop when their nav gear finally gives up the ghost mid-Snapper season. Sitting beside the Sulphur Point haul-out, the team handles runabouts, cruising cats and super-yacht tenders with the same methodical check-list.

Premium Product Line-up

Walk into the showroom and you’ll see Simrad NSX displays pulsing next to B&G H5000 sailing brains, Garmin Reactor autopilots and Raymarine Quantum radar domes spinning on a test rig. Everything is wired together on a live NMEA 2000 backbone so you can push buttons, not brochures.

Custom Helm & Dash Fabrication

In-house CNC routers cut acrylic and aluminium dash panels to millimetre accuracy, allowing flush-mount screens, back-lit labels and hidden cable routes. They frequently collaborate with local boat builders to pre-fit dashes before the hull even leaves the shed.

Ongoing Support & Warranty Service

A yearly “health-check” subscription covers software updates and thermal-imaging surveys for overheating connections. Remote diagnostics via 4G and priority warranty processing keep commercial operators fishing while parts are couriered overnight.

6. Smart Marine – Nationwide Retail Chain for DIY Boaties

With 10 large-format stores dotted from Whangārei to Christchurch, Smart Marine brings big-box convenience to the marine electronics New Zealand crowd. Walk in, grab a basket and compare three price tiers of the same gadget side-by-side—ideal when you’re juggling budget and spec on a Friday lunch break.

Shelf Range & In-Store Experience

• Clearly labelled “good / better / best” shelving for fish-finders, combo units and VHF radios
• Interactive sound wall lets you audition Fusion and JL Audio stereos at real-world volume
• Transducer display board shows through-hull, transom and in-hull options you can physically handle before buying

Knowledgeable floor staff—often fisho’s themselves—will print wiring diagrams or point you to the crimp terminal aisle so you don’t forget the small stuff.

Online Store & Click-and-Collect

Smartmarine.co.nz mirrors in-store stock in near real time. Filter by screen size, depth rating or price, then nominate click-and-collect or courier. Orders paid before 2 pm usually hit the North Island overnight and the South within 48 hours; rural delivery adds a day.

Best For

DIY skippers chasing loyalty points, catalogue specials and a one-stop trolley for electronics, rope, sinkers and ice—ready to bolt everything on over the weekend.

7. Lusty & Blundell – Raymarine Super-Centre & Systems Integrator

Based out of a purpose-built 5,000 m² facility in Albany, Lusty & Blundell is the country’s Raymarine super-centre and a heavyweight in the marine electronics New Zealand market. For blue-water cruisers and super-yacht yards alike, the team supplies, configures and services everything from networked helm stations to digital switching that lets you drop the anchor from your phone.

Exclusive Brands & Stockholding

Raymarine Axiom displays, Mastervolt power gear, CZone switching modules and Aquila cameras line the shelves. With multi-million-dollar inventory on site, most items leave Albany the same day, minimising downtime.

Design-to-Completion Project Workflow

Projects kick off with a dockside consultation before CAD wiring schematics are drawn, then in-house technicians install, label and test every circuit, finishing with a sea trial to calibrate autopilots and radars.

Training & Tech Support

Weekly ‘Tech Tuesday’ webinars unpack new features, while a technician-run help line answers questions seven days. Registered owners also receive firmware alerts and printable check-lists before major voyages.

8. Burnsco Marine & Outdoors – 17 Stores Across NZ Harbours

With 17 blue-and-yellow stores hugging marinas from Ōpua to Dunedin, Burnsco Marine & Outdoors gives marine electronics New Zealand shoppers easy, drive-up access. A synced web shop shows live stock, perfect for those Friday-afternoon kit swaps before a trip.

Product Highlights

Sharp-priced 4–7 inch sounders, floating handheld VHFs, EPIRBs and AIS MOB beacons fill the shelves, alongside Burnsco-branded deep-cycle batteries and PWM solar regulators. Clear spec cards sit beside demo units so newcomers can eyeball depth ratings, wattage and screen brightness before buying.

Loyalty Club & Pricing

Join the free Burnsco Club to shave 5 % off every ticket and receive quarterly voucher emails. A national price-beat promise means staff will match—or undercut—any major retailer’s advertised price.

Ideal For

Trailer-boats, pocket cruisers and campervans whose owners enjoy DIY—grab a sounder, tinned cable and a tube of Sikaflex in one stop, then hit the ramp.

9. Electronic Navigation Ltd (ENL) – Commercial & Government Marine Tech

Founded in 1945, Electronic Navigation Ltd sits at the heavy-duty end of the marine electronics New Zealand spectrum. While weekend skippers may know them for WASSP adverts, ENL’s day-to-day business is kitting out commercial fishing fleets, research vessels, ferries and Government craft that simply can’t afford downtime. Projects range from single-vessel sonar upgrades to whole-of-fleet compliance programmes backed by 24/7 technical cover.

Advanced Systems Supplied

• Furuno FAR/FR series X- and S-band radars with ARPA and ECDIS integration
• WASSP multibeam sounders for seabed mapping and catch optimisation
• Oceanographic current, wave and tide sensors for research platforms
• Hull-mounted hydrodynamic and fuel-flow sensors to trim operating costs

All hardware is stocked at ENL’s Auckland warehouse, allowing fast turn-around when a survey deadline looms.

Specialist Installation & Commissioning

A crew of electronics engineers, ex-merchant navy sparkies and software techs hold STCW and GMDSS endorsements. They handle SOLAS-compliant installs on ferries, Customs patrol boats and Coastguard assets, complete with compass swing, radar performance tests and onboard user training.

Service & Calibration

• Round-the-clock service contracts with guaranteed response times
• Annual GMDSS radio surveys and radar performance checks for class societies
• Shore-based spares pool and remote diagnostics to keep blue-water fleets earning while parts are flown in

The result is rock-solid, regulation-ready systems that meet the strictest audit.

10. DM Marine Electronics – Auckland Mobile Installer

When your launch is wedged into a Westhaven berth or sitting high on a Gulf Harbour hard-stand, the last thing you need is a long tow to a workshop. DM Marine Electronics brings the bench to you, specialising in tidy, standards-compliant wiring that integrates new displays with existing engines, thrusters and digital gauges.

Niche Offering

• Custom NMEA 2000 network schematics for multi-helm sport-fishers
• Seamless interface between Simrad or Garmin displays and Mercury SmartCraft or Volvo Penta data streams
• Fine-tuned sonar setups for Hauraki Gulf snapper grounds and deep-drop sword spots

Mobile Workshop & Field Service

A fully stocked Sprinter van carries crimpers, label printers, heat-shrink and spare transducers. Jobs are tackled afloat or on the hard from Hobsonville to Half Moon Bay, with real-time job tracking via text updates.

Stand-Out Points

Flat hourly rate and zero call-out fee within 30 km of the CBD. Winterisation check and software update are thrown in free if DM installed the gear—handy peace of mind for marine electronics New Zealand owners prepping for the next season.

11. Marine Deals – NZ’s Largest Online Fishing & Electronics Store

If you prefer filling a digital shopping cart at 10 pm rather than queuing at a chandlery counter, Marine Deals is hard to beat. The Auckland-based warehouse lists thousands of SKUs and ships daily, making it a go-to e-tailer for marine electronics New Zealand boaters can install themselves.

Web-Only Product Strengths

• Entry-level 4–7 inch sonar/plotter combos from Garmin, Lowrance and Humminbird
• CHIRP and Side-Scan transducers sold separately or in discounted bundles
• Marine-grade lithium starter and house batteries at prices brick-and-mortar shops struggle to match
• Flash sales, “Daily Deals” countdowns and combo offers that pair electronics with rods, reels or tackle

Buying Experience

Every product page carries high-resolution photos, downloadable spec sheets and short unboxing videos, so you know cable lengths and cut-out sizes before hitting “Buy Now.” A community Q&A panel lets previous customers answer fit-out questions, while live chat routes technical queries to in-house anglers who’ve used the gear.

Best Suited To

Bargain hunters and DIY skippers happy to fit their own gear, wait a day or two for the courier, and pocket the savings for bait, fuel or the next flash sale.

12. Marine & RV Electronics – Hamilton Showroom + Nationwide Mobile

Tucked just off Te Rapa Road, Marine & RV Electronics bridges the gap between blue-water cruising and road-trip caravanning. Their Hamilton showroom is wired like a demo boat and a deluxe motorhome rolled into one, so you can trial kit side-by-side before buying.

Dual-Sector Range

• Garmin and Lowrance MFDs, plus Fusion and JL Audio stereos
• Victron inverter/charger combos, MPPT solar controllers and lithium batteries for boats or campervans
• Dome satellite TVs, 4G boosters and Wi-Fi routers to keep Netflix flowing at anchor or in the campground

Installation Services

Factory-trained technicians fit gear into launches, fifth-wheelers and caravans nationwide. Jobs start with load-calculation spreadsheets, then move to tidy looms labelled at both ends. Mobile vans carry crimpers, gland boxes and test tanks for on-site transducer tuning.

Customer Care

Every install includes printed “owner docs” explaining breaker sizes and cable cross-sections. Phone support runs 7 am–7 pm, and annual health checks are 30 % cheaper if booked during the initial fit-out—handy for staying ahead of battery or firmware issues.

13. Ovlov Marine – Volvo Penta & Simrad Integration Specialists

Best known for its engine service depots in Westhaven, Gulf Harbour and Pine Harbour, Ovlov Marine also sits firmly on the marine-electronics map. Their in-house techs marry Volvo Penta propulsion data with Simrad glass helms, turning scattered dials into a single, touch-driven command centre.

Marine Electronics Focus

• Simrad NSS Evo3 and NSSevo3S multifunction displays
• Simrad AP™ autopilot packages calibrated to Volvo steering pumps
• Volvo Glass Cockpit suites that stream RPM, fuel burn and alarms over J1939
• Side-Power proportional thruster and remote controls for stress-free docking

OEM Authorised Service

Factory-trained on both Volvo Penta and Navico gear, the crew programme engines, displays and thrusters to talk flawlessly over NMEA 2000 and J1939 backbones. Software updates and diagnostics run through official dealer laptops, keeping warranties intact.

Why Choose Ovlov

One phone call covers annual engine servicing, helm upgrades and joystick calibration—ideal for launch owners chasing a unified, manufacturer-approved solution without juggling multiple contractors.

14. Ocean Electronics – Nelson & Marlborough Sound Service Provider

From French Pass tide rips to the sheltered coves of Queen Charlotte, Ocean Electronics keeps Top-of-the-South fleets talking, navigating and catching fish. The Nelson-based crew blend deep commercial know-how with the agility small operators need, making them the obvious call when a transducer quits mid-salmon harvest or a charter boat needs a radar upgrade between sailings.

Core Product Suite

Walk into their Port Nelson workshop and you’ll find Furuno TZtouch MFDs glowing beside Garmin Panoptix LiveScope, Icom IC-M605 commercial VHFs and IMO-approved Class-A AIS transponders. Paired with Airmar CHIRP through-hulls and Scanstrut mounts, they cover everything a Sounds workboat or blue-water cruiser could ask for.

Remote & On-Water Support

Because many clients stay permanently on moorings, technicians whip across Tasman Bay in a dedicated 7 m RIB loaded with crimpers, spare antennas and a handheld spectrum analyser. After-hours troubleshooting happens over Iridium or Inmarsat, ideal for aquaculture barges that never sleep.

Notable Projects

Recent jobs include a fleet-wide AIS and network switch refit for a Marlborough mussel-harvesting operation, plus full TZtouch helm retrofits on three charter launches—proof that Ocean Electronics can scale from single-skipper gigs to multi-vessel rollouts without breaking stride.

15. Fosters Ship Chandlery – Auckland Heritage Store With Modern Tech

Open since 1907 and still tucked beside the foot of the Harbour Bridge, Fosters is proof you don’t have to choose between salty heritage and cutting-edge kit. Old hands drop in for bronze turnbuckles; younger skippers stick around when they see the live electronics wall pulsing away under varnished kauri beams.

Electronics Department Highlights

• B&G Triton² sailing instruments, Vulcan plotters and Nemesis mast displays
• Icom floating handheld and fixed DSC VHFs with NZ channel sets pre-programmed
• Balmar alternator regulators and SmartGauge battery monitors for serious off-grid cruising

In-Store Advice & DIY Resources

Staff have miles under their keels and happily sketch wiring on a scrap of chart paper. Need tools? Fosters hires out hydraulic crimpers and ISO-approved swagers, and prints step-by-step loom diagrams you can stash in the nav table.

Added Extras

Join the Fosters Loyalty Ledger for point-based discounts, then nip next door to the rigging loft for new halyards while your plotter software updates at the counter—one errand, two jobs, zero fuss.

Choosing Your Ideal Marine Electronics Partner

Ticking off the wish-list is only half the job; choosing the right people to supply and install the kit is what keeps you safe once you cast off. Start by checking gear compatibility: make sure a new plotter, engine gateway and stereo will all speak the same NMEA 2000 language. Next, look for certified installers who back their work with written wiring diagrams and factory training—especially if the boat is surveyed or heading offshore. Finally, weigh up after-sales support versus proximity: a nationwide chain is handy for quick swaps, but a mobile specialist can be a lifesaver when the boat never leaves its berth.

Match the complexity of your project—and the vessel type—to the companies above and you’ll avoid most rookie headaches. If you’re ready to price up options today, pop into Action Outdoors’ East Tāmaki store or browse the full range online at Action Outdoors.