Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours — Pro Bono Community Support, and a Music Festival for Starship

Project Overview

This case is different from the others on this site. It is not about China, and it is not a paid engagement. In 2026 Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours, a Whangaparāoa business whose owner knows the Hauraki Gulf better than most, received pro bono advisory support as the owner developed an idea of their own into reality: the inaugural Hibiscus JetSki Spring Music Festival, a community fundraiser for Starship Child Health. No fee was charged for any of it. We say that plainly at the top, because this page is as much a record of giving back as it is of work.

The Client

Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours is a locally run jet ski hire and tour business based on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast, operating from Big Manly Beach near Gulf Harbour. Its customers ride their own jet skis across the Hauraki Gulf — from sheltered bays and beaches to island experiences around Tiritiri Matangi and beyond — with self-drive eco-tours shaped around couples, families, international visitors and corporate groups alike.

It is a business built on doing things properly. As a Department of Conservation approved pest-free operator, it runs gear checks and conservation briefings before every island departure, so Auckland's island sanctuaries stay safe for generations to come. That care shows in the record: back-to-back Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards for 2024 and 2025. It is exactly the kind of local business a community is lucky to have, and exactly the kind worth helping.

What the Business Gained — Pro Bono

What the owner received was advisory and unpaid: time, straight talk and a fresh pair of eyes on the business, and introductions where our network could genuinely help. Concretely:

• ▸ A sounding board, honestly run. The owner gained time and straight talk working through the business — where it is strong, what gets in the way of growth, and which ideas are worth pursuing — with nothing to sell and no invoice at the end of the conversation.
• ▸ Introductions where they helped. The business was connected with people and market resources from MiDeer's New Zealand and community networks that could support its growth and raise its profile.
• ▸ No fee, by design. This was community support, not a commercial engagement. A consultancy that has spent 25 years helping New Zealanders reach China should also be visible in its own backyard.

The Community Event — the Spring Music Festival

Out of those conversations came an idea worth backing. The owner wanted to give back, and decided to run with a community music festival organised by the business, with every dollar raised going to Starship Child Health. To be clear about credit where it belongs — the festival is independently organised by Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours. MiDeer's contribution was to help think the idea through, connect resources and encourage the owner to run with it.

The inaugural Hibiscus JetSki Spring Music Festival was organised by the business at Gulf Harbour Yacht Club. The programme is built around local talent: performances from local children and students, a string quartet from the Auckland Philharmonia Aspiring Musicians, the Coastie Choir, and a charity auction of prizes donated by local businesses — with dinner from The Schnitzel Wagen and a live band, Rhythm Recall, closing the evening. As the event's main sponsor, Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours is also contributing jet ski experience vouchers worth thousands of dollars to the auction.

The point of the festival is simple, and it is not commercial: bring the Hibiscus Coast community together for an enjoyable afternoon and evening, give young local performers a stage, and raise as much as possible for Starship Child Health.

Where Things Stand

What has genuinely happened: MiDeer provided pro bono advisory support to Hibiscus JetSki Hire & Tours and made introductions from its networks; and the Spring Music Festival was independently developed and organised by the owner, with our support during the planning stage.

Where the money goes: all proceeds from the event go to Starship Child Health, not to any business involved.

The honest boundary: this was community support, not a commercial engagement, and we will not dress it up as one. No fee was charged and none is claimed; the value of the evening belongs to the community that turns up and to the children's hospital it supports.

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