Described as “Northland’s greatest cheerleader”, scuba diver and New Zealand’s biggest dive operator Jeroen Jongejans has died suddenly while paddle-boarding off his home town of Tutukaka on 21 February.
The founder and co-owner of dive-boat charter operator Dive! Tutukaka grew up with a love of boats in the Dutch North Sea sailing town of Sneek. It was rumoured that he fled the Netherlands after painting a military aircraft pink as an anti-war protest, before settling in New Zealand in 1979.
Jongejans worked as a high-school teacher, started a diving company in 1992 and in 1999 joined forces with his friend and national politician Aussie Malcolm to form Dive! Tutukaka. Their objective was to service world-class dive location the Poor Knights Islands more effectively than they could individually. Jongejans was heavily involved in the building and engineering of the boat fleet.
The Tutukaka Coast lies in the north-east of Northland, with the city of Whangarei to the south-west and the Poor Knights some 20km off the mainland. Dive! Tutukaka became New Zealand’s biggest dive operator, taking more than 12,000 people out to the islands each year in five vessels. Half of its guests came from Europe, with the UK the second-biggest overseas market after Germany.
‘Legend of a man’
Jongejans said that when he had started in the diving business the Poor Knights had only “5% protection”. His campaigning was seen as instrumental in the location eventually achieving full marine reserve status, and he had continued to push for it to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
He was also heavily involved in getting the former warships HMNZS Tui and HMNZS Waikato sunk as artificial reefs off the Tutukaka Coast to provide attractions for wreck divers.
“He was on the water, in his happy place – paddle-boarding in Tutukaka Harbour,” ran a statement from Dive! Tutukaka, which went on to describe its former head as a “legend of a man”.
Jongejans’ partner was Kate Malcolm, whose father Aussie the couple had eventually bought out. “I have lost the love of my life, my waka [canoe] is adrift, and it needs to float a while before I can even think of navigating the next waters,” she wrote.
The partners had also run Perfect Day Ocean Cruise and Lodge9, and had recently taken over tour operator Niue Blue.
Passionate advocate
Many of the tributes to Jongejans recognised his contribution as a passionate advocate for Tutukaka, Northland and New Zealand, and as a dedicated environmental campaigner.
Over the years he had been involved in some 15 regional and national bodies including New Zealand Underwater Association (president), Tutukaka Coast Promotions (chair), Northland Tourism Development Group (chair), Northland Conservation Board (vice-chair), Whangarei District Council, Tourism Industry Aotearoa (vice-chair) and the NZ Tourism Trust.
In 2015 Jongejans was inducted into the Northland Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame and named a New Zealand Tourism Industry Champion.
