About Us

   Ken is the owner and skipper of this lovely vessel and you'll find him the perfect host to ensure your customer-orientated experience is as memorable as possible. With Ken in charge, flexibility with guests is the key to a successful and satisfying trip.

With 25 years experience in the corporate world and as a passionate fisherman, especially for game species, you are assured maximum effort and best results.

Ken grew up in Auckland sailing and fishing, a member of RNZYS since a teenager, he was selected to be the general manager of the club for the first successful Americas Cup 2000 defence.

Over 20,000 ocean miles almost all in small to medium motor vessels, Ken has skippered Gladiator to the Pacific Islands twice. In 2010 he took Gladiator to the remote Chesterfield reef located in the coral sea some 1500 miles from New Zealand chasing Dog Tooth Tuna and Giant Trevally.

In 2010 Ken and his wife Donna, fishing without crew, won the Kingfish Lodge Easter tournament with the heaviest billfish. Donna has also won top Striped Marlin and Billfish angler at Houhora Game Fishing Club in 2008. Ken was awarded top skipper prize at the Houhora One Base in 2005.

  Danny is Gladiator's full time fishing guide and reserve skipper.  He joined Gladiator in 2008 and gained his ILM certificate in 2009.

Whether it be fishing off a 55ft sportsfisher like Gladiator or fishing off the rocks, Danny's at home targeting any species from any platform.  Danny loves to fish and when asked what he does in his spare time off Gladiator there is only one answer: FISH.

He is an accomplished scuba and spearfishing person.

Danny has just recently finished filming the Matt Watson's Apprentice ITM Fishing Show, having been selected out of 3,000 applicants, which was narrowed down to 8 to compete in the show. 

  Nick is the newest member of our permanent team, joining Gladiator in early 2010.  Nick's passion is spearfishing and he holds a number of junior spearfishing records.

Nick is an experienced scuba diver and accomplished fishing person having grown up on the sea.

He holds the STCW95 qualification and was granted exemption from the age limit by Maritime NZ due to his experince already gained on charter boats. He also holds a boatmaster certificate.

In his first year of gamefishing Nick was the deckie on Gladiator during the Nationals, which was 3rd highest scoring boat in the Houhora team.

  Steve Angus via his company Swordfish Marine is contracted to Gladiator as one of our two skippers taken on all our Three Kings fishing adventures and is our fishing guide on other sportsfishing/gamefishing trips. 

Steve is widely known as a gamefishing expert and in 2010 led one of two Gladiator's trips to the remote Chesterfield reefs, some 1500 miles from New Zealand.