After spending an hour with Wettie founder Darren Shields I came away full of enthusiasm. Close to two decades on from starting the business, it is clear that he’s as passionate as ever and that rubs off on those around him. I love chatting with passionate business people like Darren! While I had known about Wettie as a successful local business for many years, I had never truly understood what it was all about. That all changed just before Christmas last year when I went shopping for a quality wetsuit top for my wife. I could not believe the range of products and stock in the Albany store.

The larger store was created when Wettie was forced to vacate its Rosedale Road site due to the motorway expansion that took place in recent years. After a four-year battle with NZTA over the relocation, they bought the building that was previously home to a Korean sauna and restaurant and set about creating the new store. It had good bones and loads of parking right at the door. Darren explained that for him Wettie was "second time around". He’d had considerable experience in commercial and competitive recreational diving and spearfishing, and selecting pieces of equipment from around the world via an earlier business called
Wild Blue.
“What I had learned is that spearfishing in New Zealand requires a unique set of techniques that are not always catered for by European, South African and American-designed equipment,” explained Darren, when we chatted in his busy office that he shares with his son Jackson. “So, I was keen to develop components from all three industries to develop a range of gear that was suited to hunting in our shallows for reef species and to spearing our world-class kingfish. My inspiration for Wettie was to design equipment for New Zealand conditions and divers.
“To be very honest I was getting tired of sourcing products for the New Zealand market and others copying what I was doing. So, the plan with Wettie was to design our own products under our own brand – to be the masters of our own destiny.
“To expand and improve the wetsuit range, we acquired 2001 Wetsuits, a local wetsuit manufacturer with the necessary sewing machines, screen-printing and staff. This enabled us to create our own patterns to improve our existing wetsuit cuts.
“In those early days, I can recall going to international trade shows and being laughed at due to the size of the orders we were needing. When we said we were from New Zealand, we were treated poorly. Being persistent, I eventually managed to get a manufacturer to accept an initial order of 1,000 units of fins and we were underway. These days we bring in multiple container loads of our own designs!”
Wettie is now the biggest dive store in New Zealand, selling from its Albany store and online to customers all over the world. Darren estimates the split is 50/50 in-store versus online. Wettie now has a reputation for developing some of the best products for diving and spearfishing in the world, and product development is ongoing.
Wettie is a real family affair. Darren says his wife Alison is probably the hardest worker in the business, looking after accounts and finance and often serving in the store. The kids all work in the business as well, with their son Jackson pretty much running things, daughter Gemma looking after HR and IT, and youngest son Griffin managing the warehouse. Like their father, Gemma and Jackson are also spearfishing champions. Gemma was the Women’s World Freshwater Champion in 2017, and Jackson, like his dad, has won a number of New Zealand spearfishing titles. As well as having great quality gear, at Wettie you are also dealing with staff who know their stuff.
Darren explains that while they are experts in dive and spearfishing gear, their range also includes items for all sorts of water-related sports and pastimes. “The key to the popularity of our range is that not only is it designed for New Zealand conditions, but we can also tailor and fit items to suit specific body shapes or needs. Wetsuits are a classic example; we can customise them to ensure the fit is perfect. We have even altered wetsuits for people with one leg.
“Having our own small manufacturing facility, we can refine a great wetsuit to combine comfortability, warmth and durability. Our wetsuit range has also expanded into sailing, surfing, swimming, kayaking and scuba, along with most other water activities. We also provide warranty and repair services for our own brand as well as others.”
Wettie caters for the whole family, including the kids. Their extensive range includes well-fitting warm wetsuits, masks, snorkels and fins designed especially for the kids to keep them warm and comfortable in the water.
Interestingly, all the parts and components for the Wettie range of spearguns are also made in New Zealand and assembled in-store by members of their 16-strong staff. It is something that Darren is hugely proud of. “Over the years we have developed our own moulds for our products, so we control the quality of manufacture. Our spearguns are a classic example. All the components, such as the carbon and aluminium tubes for our spearguns, are made within 10 minutes of our Albany store. As our carbon tubes get longer, we strengthen the barrel by 50% to remove any bowing or splitting, making them one of the strongest on the market as well as the best price. We sell these spearguns all over the world.”
So, what would Darren advise those starting out in business in 2025?
“I have four pieces of wisdom. Do not listen to the naysayers. Be prepared to have a big target on your back. Live, eat, breathe and sleep everything you are doing. Don’t chase the money, chase the people – it is the people who are most important.”
And what are the big changes in business from the 2000s versus 2025?
“Definitely the internet. Back when we started there were a range of marketing options for us, but now the most important ingredient for us is the internet – our website, social media and YouTube channel.
“We have created quite a following online as we have a strong YouTube presence, and I have also been involved for over a decade in a TV show that airs on Sky Plus called ‘Fishy Business’, made by Adam Clancy. My specialty is obviously spearfishing and we make around 10 episodes a year. The combination of this show and all our online activity means we are well-known in other parts of the world. We were at a recent trade show in the USA and were treated like celebrities, with comments like, "You’re the Wettie guys from New Zealand!" It was also a catalyst for picking up some new business from the USA and Canada.
What does Darren do to relax?
“Believe it or not, I go diving and hunting! I also enjoy doing family things. We are lucky to have properties at both Omaha and Mt Maunganui, where we escape to as much as we can. We’ve got four grandkids these days who consume our time as well."
Darren also gives back to his local community, and recently became a JP (Justice of the Peace).

Visit: wettie.co.nz