About Senator
A region on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Hawke’s Bay fronts the might of the Pacific and Southern Oceans. There’s nothing but waves and wild water between it and the next land mass, South America, more than 6,000 nautical miles away.
This is the home of Senator alloy chamber boats shaped by their rugged environment. Built incredibly tough, every Senator is engineered to explore in all conditions and always return safely to shore.
Built with passion
for 30 years
In 1997, avid fisherman and expert aluminium fabricator Wayne McKinley had a vision to design and build New Zealand’s best aluminium chamber boats. That vision became a legacy.
Nine years ago, Grant Simmonds took the helm acquiring the business and bringing fresh energy and ambition to everything Senator stands for.
Under Grant’s leadership, Senator has grown into one of New Zealand’s largest alloy chamber boat designers and manufacturers, expanding its reach across Australia and continuing to raise the bar on what a New Zealand-built boat can be.
Today, every boat that leaves our Napier workshop is crafted with precision, pride, and 30 years of knowing what New Zealand’s and Australian waters demand.
A culture of innovation
At Senator, standing still has never been an option. We design and release a new boat model every year not because we have to, but because our customers push us to, and because we push ourselves harder. Every new model reflects the latest thinking in alloy engineering, user feedback from real conditions, and our relentless drive to build something better than what came before.
One of our most significant innovations is the Senator Mission Modular System a unique platform that sets us apart in the market. Designed and engineered entirely in-house, the Mission Modular System allows customers to configure their boat to match exactly how they use it whether that’s commercial fishing, recreational adventures, or everything in between. It’s flexibility built into the DNA of the boat, without compromising the structural integrity and toughness Senator is known for.
Built lean. Built better.
In recent years, Senator has made a deliberate commitment to transforming not just what we build, but how we build it. We’ve adopted lean manufacturing principles throughout our workshop reducing waste, improving flow, and creating a smarter, more consistent build process.
Our Senator Improvement Programme (SIP) runs continuously across the business. Every team member is part of it — identifying inefficiencies, standardising processes, and always looking for a better way. From structured daily improvement sessions on the workshop floor to 3S workplace standards and visual management tools, lean thinking is embedded in our culture, not just our processes.
The result? Boats that are built more consistently, more efficiently, and to a higher standard every single time.
We put our customers first – after all, without em we’d be buggered.
Our guys put in the hours and rise to the challenge, so when the fishing’s good we get amongst it.
It’s not just a job, it’s our passion – turning customers dreams into vessels.
Everyone here knows where we’re going, we’re in this together, we have fun, but we work bloody hard.
We are an honest kiwi company striving to do the right thing by our boat owners, our dealers and our team.
Ensuring our product, processes and people are the best they can be.
Wherever you go,
you’ll find a Senator
Building enduring relationships with respected and trusted marine dealerships throughout New Zealand and across Australia has enabled us to focus on what we do best building awesome boats.
From commercial fishing charters to Coastguard, through to keen recreational users, Senators are out there every day in some of the toughest conditions on the water. Our loyal customers tell us what we already believe: Senator leads the way in aluminium chamber boats.