Best Baits has been equipping South Auckland fishers from 1 Coronation Road, Mangere Bridge since 2004, when founder Tane Zanders — a former commercial fisherman of 15 years — set up shop to fill a gap in the local market: a bait specialist offering quality bulk bait, fishing nets and fishing gear with genuine expert knowledge behind the counter.
The site was chosen with boaties in mind: easy access for trailer boats, plenty of off-street parking, and an adjoining petrol station where you can fill up the boat as well as the car. The business is owned and operated by partners Tane (Ngāti Maniapoto and Tainui) and Rachael Gibb (Tainui), who joined full-time after leaving her corporate job, bringing marketing and sales experience to the growing operation.
Following their strategic plan, the pair expanded with an adjoining fresh fish shop, Ikanui Seafoods, selling fish caught from the business's own commercial fishing boat and crew — a combination that earned the duo a profile in Te Puni Kōkiri's Kōkiri magazine and a growing reputation for the freshest fish in town.
On Coronation Road in Mangere Bridge, Best Baits has been equipping South Auckland fishers since 2004. The shop was founded by Tane Zanders, a former commercial fisherman of fifteen years who swapped life at sea for life behind the counter — and brought a professional's eye for bait with him. Together with partner Rachael Gibb, Tane owns and operates Best Baits as a family business with roots in Ngāti Maniapoto and Tainui, with a clear speciality: fresh and frozen fish bait, fishing products, accessories and nets, sold with genuine expertise behind the counter.
Best Baits was created to fill a gap its founder could see clearly. 'There was a gap in the South Auckland market for a shop specialising in quality bulk bait and fishing nets with the specialist knowledge to back it up,' Tane says. The shop was built to be exactly that — a place where bulk-bait buyers and net fishers get both the product and the advice that goes with it.
Part of the shop's appeal is purely practical. Tane describes 1 Coronation Road as the perfect site: easy access for trailer boats, plenty of off-street parking, and an adjoining petrol station where you can fill up the boat as well as the car before heading out. For anyone towing a trailer before dawn, those details matter, and they have helped make Best Baits a natural last stop before the water.
The business grew steadily — so steadily that Rachael left her corporate job to work alongside Tane full-time, putting years of marketing and sales experience to work building the brand. Following their strategic plan, the pair expanded, opening an adjoining fresh fish shop called Ikanui Seafoods.
What sets Ikanui apart is its supply chain: the fish it sells is caught by the business's own commercial fishing boat and crew, going from the boat to the counter next door. 'Business has been booming and we have followed our strategic plan to open a fish shop, which has been incredibly successful and has a growing reputation as the freshest fish in town,' says Rachael.
It is a rare model: few bait shops can point next door to a fish shop supplied by their own vessel, and few fish shops can trace their catch to a single crew.
Expansion on that scale brought its own challenges, and the owners sought outside help. Tane and Rachael cast a line to Te Puni Kōkiri's Business Facilitation mentoring programme, which helped them prioritise what they needed to do most to grow. 'It was really helpful to get some objective external advice,' Tane said of the mentoring, which also helped the pair develop long-term strategies to keep the momentum going. The story earned Best Baits and Ikanui Seafoods a profile in Te Puni Kōkiri's Kōkiri magazine in 2007.
A visit covers the whole outing. In the bait shop: fresh and frozen bait for the chilly bin, quality bulk bait by quantity, fishing nets, and the products and accessories that round out a day's fishing — all backed by specialist knowledge. Next door, Ikanui Seafoods offers fresh fish straight from the family's own boat.
Whether you are restocking the bait supply, replacing a worn net or chasing the freshest fish in town, the combination of product and know-how is what Best Baits was founded to provide.
To check stock, ask after the day's catch or pick an expert brain before you launch, contact Tane and Rachael at Best Baits on 09 636 7103 or by email at [email protected].