Is this the beginning of the end?

Updated: Nov 13

End of Kawasaki jetski's in New Zealand?

October 2024

Earlier this year we were told Kawasaki Japan were shutting down their NZ distributor and moving the NZ parts supply to Australia. It's a common strategy for many companies, so no surprises there. But Kawasaki didn't even say goodbye. Just closed the current NZ distributor, effectively cancelling the few remaining jetski service agents who had parts accounts. Including us.

For us personally it hasn't caused any issues ditching Kawasaki Service Agent status. In the 2023/24 financial year, Kawasaki servicing represented less than 0.25% of our total revenue. As we are a true independent, it is a graphic representation of their current market share in NZ.

We were later surprised to hear every Kawasaki dealer had been axed, apart from one, in Otago.

Where does that leave most green machine owners? Well, in a tricky spot. Kawasaki have said any professional marine mechanic can service the brand, buying OEM parts from the one Otago dealer, but most have said "ah no thanks". Turns out most of the original agents found it pretty rude to be cut off a wholesale account and then expect them to support the brand anyway.

On a positive note, Kawasaki are planning an exciting come-back for the NZ market and we've been told it will put the brand back into the playing field competitively amongst the two big dogs, Yamaha and Sea-Doo.

Until then, they are working on their dealer network, and current jetski owners may need to check in with the website for service agent updates: https://www.kawasaki-motors.co.nz/en/tools/locate-a-dealer.html or contact Kawasaki NZ sales manager directly on 027 263 4884.

We've now also updated our NZ Top Picks List for used jetski purchasing to reflect this current information. This list accompanies our Buyers Guide and is a valuable read for those entering the PWC world.