About the Coastguard

Our volunteer rescue crews provide the primary maritime search and rescue service in New Zealand.

Last year we brought over 6,951 people home safely after an emergency on the water.

We are able to do this by being organised, trained and equipped 24/7.

Volunteering for Coastguard: A way of life

Since the first Coastguard unit was formed in 1898, Coastguard has been run by volunteers, and that remains the case today. We are hugely proud of our volunteers – people from all communities and walks of life who dedicate a huge amount of their free time to keeping their fellow New Zealanders alive.

Our search and rescue volunteers are based at 63 Coastguard ‘units’

• 59 wet units crewing rescue vessels and providing services to local boaties, positioned in strategic locations around the coast and on major lakes and rivers, from Houhora to Bluff
• Two air patrol units in Auckland and Northland who piloting search and rescue aircraft
• Two dedicated communications units in Auckland and Tauranga

Helping boaties stay safe on the water

In an ideal world, vessels would not encounter difficulties at sea, but all activities involve risk and amongst other things, boating is influenced by unpredictable marine weather and constantly changing sea conditions.

Nevertheless, we believe that educating the boating public on how to stay safe on the water is of vital importance in keeping New Zealanders safe. For many years we have been offering popular boating courses through our subsidiary, Coastguard Boating Education.

These are accessible to all; and we are proud to draw on years of experience to provide practical advice and guidance for safe boating.

Raising funds to keep our service going

Coastguard is a charity, and each year we need to raise 87.5% of our income from individuals, corporate sponsors and trusts. Coastguard operates a national membership scheme for boaties, regular national lotteries, and a range of fundraising activities including a monthly giving club and Coastguardians, a special group of supporters who leave a gift in their Will to save lives at sea.

We cover the remaining 12.5% of our costs through a service level agreement with the New Zealand government.

Visit the Coastguard Website

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This post was written by fishingadmin