The Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre — usually shortened to MERC — is a not-for-profit outdoor education centre at Long Bay on Auckland's North Shore. It has operated since 1990 and is a registered New Zealand charity. The site sits at 1045 Beach Road, overlooking the Long Bay–Okura Marine Reserve, with views across to Tiritiri Matangi Island and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
### What it does
MERC's stated mission is to provide marine environmental education and outdoor experiences for young New Zealanders, and school programmes remain its core work. Alongside that it delivers programmes for other not-for-profits and for business and corporate groups, along with holiday programmes and facility hire. Revenue from commercial hire supports the charitable education programme.
The activity range is water-based and land-based: sailing, kayaking, raft building, archery and abseiling among others. Raft building in particular is a long-standing team-building staple, and the sheltered bay makes on-water activity practical for people with no prior experience.
### Facilities, groups and corporate work
MERC runs a dedicated corporate team-building arm. A typical short format is a half-day energiser — a welcome, around two hours of hands-on team challenges, a facilitated debrief and refreshments — which fits neatly against a conference morning or afternoon. Longer and residential programmes are also possible.
The site has conference facilities for up to 40 people, a multi-purpose hall, large kitchen and dining facilities, wheelchair access and separate leader accommodation. Overnight capacity is up to 85 people at any one time, with up to 120 people on site across a day. That combination — meeting space, catering, accommodation and activities on one coastal site 30 minutes or so from central Auckland — makes it viable as a self-contained offsite rather than an activity stop.
MERC is listed as a non-commercial maritime member of Yachting New Zealand.
### Suitability for MICE
Best suited to team-building days, leadership offsites and residential retreats for small to mid-size groups. The facilitated debrief built into the programme is what distinguishes it from a pure activity booking — it is designed to produce takeaways, not just a day out. The 40-person conference capacity caps its use for larger conferences, but for a single department, executive team or an incentive group wanting a coastal setting close to the city it is well matched. Its charitable status and marine reserve setting also support programmes with a sustainability or values-led theme.
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