The Sir Peter Blake

Peter Blake (yachtsman)

Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...

 Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) is a marine recreation centre for children located in Long Bay

Long Bay, New Zealand

Long Bay is a suburb of North Shore, now incorporated into the greater Auckland metropolitan area in northern New Zealand.The population was 954 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 210 from 2001....

, Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

The centre's current mission statement says: MERC is committed to providing opportunities for personal growth and development through experiential marine related activities and studies.

History

MERC has been in operation since 1990. Since then thousands of hours of voluntary work have gone into getting MERC to where it is today. This voluntary effort still continues and has been valued at between $40,000 and $50,000 per year.