Royal New Zealand Coastguard

• Following tragic events such as the Wahine disaster, various local groups that had been operating separately recognised a need for a unified, national organisation and so they formed the "New Zealand Coastguard Federation" in 1976.[1]
• Units began offering training and education to local boaties in an effort to reduce incidents since at least 1979.[1]

• Radio communications are introduced and play a large part in assisting with search and rescue events.[1]
• Name changes to "Royal New Zealand Coastguard Federation" in 1986 as the charity is granted Royal Patronage, with Prince Charles as the Patron.[1]

• First Air Patrol unit is introduced in 1991 which means that for the first time in New Zealand survivors would be able to be seen from the sky as a part of Coastguard search and rescue incidents.[1]
• "Nowcasting" service was introduced in Auckland in 1992. This was different from simply broadcasting a forecast as weather measuring instruments had also been installed. This was later rolled out through the rest of the country.

• Dropped "Federation" from the name in 2005.
• Began charging a call-out rate per-hour to non-members in 2006.[2]
• Calls were made for government funding in 2007.[3]
• Law changes were passed in 2008 requiring Auckland councils to provide funding for, among other things, including Coastguard Northern Region.[4] For more info, see Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act 2008.

The type of incident will influence a number of factors, such as who is in control of the incident and who will pay for the incident. Other organisations may also become involved in an incident including:[5]

• New Zealand Defence Force
• Fire and Emergency New Zealand
• NZ Land Search & Rescue
• Civil Aviation Authority

Some examples of a Category 1 incident are:[6]

• Person on-board vessel is overdue
• Death near shore
• Usually on-land or within a few miles of the shore

Typically require the use of local personnel and resources and can be carried out efficiently and effectively at the local level.

Some examples of a Category 2 incident are:[6]

• Marine EPIRB (beacon) activated
• Plane crash
• May be coordinated internationally or several miles off the shore

Coastguard also provides non-urgent assistance within 12 nautical miles of the coast and 30 miles of a Coastguard unit, such as breakdown assistance, at no additional cost to members.[7] Coastguard membership is $115 per year (as of 2021).[8] However, this non-urgent assistance is chargeable for non-members. The current rate is $280 per hour (from the time the rescue vessel leaves the dock until the time it arrives back).[9] The costs incurred for emergency services provided by Coastguard are covered by Police or Rescue Coordination Centre, not the person in distress.

The vision of the organisation is "No boaties’ lives lost at sea" with the mission "To be the ‘go to’ people for marine safety, education and search and rescue services".

The focuses for Coastguard New Zealand currently are:

• Our People
• Community
• Financial
• Reputation

As a charity, Coastguard requires volunteer crew in order to continue their operations. Many rural units need crew now, with some urban areas operating a wait list instead. Interested people can apply on the How do I become a Coastguard volunteer? website. Applicants need to pass a "police vet". This is more stringent than just a regular criminal convictions check as crew may work with vulnerable people.

Units require people to attend search and rescue events as they may arise.

Involves being a crew member onboard a Coastguard Rescue Vessel (CRV). There are many roles on-board, including helmsperson, navigator / radio operator, observer and skipper.

Involves being an air observer or tactical officer. The air patrol typically involves small planes.

Units require people on-shore to maintain the operations of the unit. This involves operating radios and managing incidents, among other things.

Communicates with vessels at sea, including rescues vessels (as well as the public). This role requires the crew member to hold a Maritime VHF Radio Operator Certificate. The role invol

Coordinates search and rescues operations. The role is suited to someone who has previous people management experience. This role is especially important when working with other agencies, in which case the Coordinated Information Management System (CIMS) is used.

Plans and manages the delivery of training to the unit and ensures the crew remains competent. This role also involving assessing crew and reporting results.

Manages unit compliance with the Health and Safety in Employment Act, as well as the Maritime Transport Act and the general Health and Safety needs of the unit. The role encompasses the vessel, buildings and crew & may also involve maintaining relationships with WorkSafe New Zealand and Maritime New Zealand.

Manages on-going repairs and maintenance for the units buildings, vessels and vehicles.

Represent the crew members to the board and maintains the crews welfare.

The individual units of the Coastguard each have a treasurer, as well as a number of other roles. The units also take some responsibility for fundraising in their community.[10]

Sumner Lifeboat, part of the Sumner Unit based in Sumner, Christchurch

All units operate small, medium and large marine rescue vessels, mostly over nine metres but depending on the place they could have smaller vessels. They are specially equipped with rescue equipment, such as:

• Life rings
• Medical Kit
• Oxygen Kit
• Defibrillators
• Boat hooks
• Throw bags
• Radar, compass and GPS

Today two Air Patrol units exist under the Coastguard banner presently, Auckland Air Patrol and Northland Air Patrol. Together, they responded to 76 calls for assistance and assisted 155 people in 2016.[11] Previously an Air Patrol existed in the South Island.[12] This has now been disestablished due to a lack of funding. Assistance is still able to be provided in the event of an emergency to the South island but this is now typically provided by helicopters based out of Christchurch.

Crew members are provided with a distinctive red uniform that is suitable for challenging marine conditions. Some of the clothing includes:

• Wet weather jacket
• Overalls
• Life jacket
• Sea boots
• Marine grab bag (backpack)

A number of services are provided by the Coastguard via. marine VHF radio. The person operating the VHF radio is required to hold a Maritime VHF Radio Operator Certificate (unless they are under supervision by someone who holds one or they are making an emergency call).[13] To contact Coastguard you can call them on Coastguard Radio on a VHF radio, refer to their website. All emergency calls should be made on marine VHF channel 16. The channel is monitored by the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand and the Coastguard Marine Rescue Centre. Nearby vessels are also encouraged to listen on the channel for any distress calls.[14]

Provides up-to-date marine weather for all of New Zealand. This is also known as "nowcasting".[14] The channels used for the Marine Weather service are available on the Coastguard website.

Provides ability to lodge a trip report. It is a good idea to do a trip report when departing on the water and when crossing a bar. You should always remember to close your trip report when you arrive back safely or when you cross the bar. In the event that an alarm is raised, search and rescue teams will have information available to assist them with the rescue. The channels used for the Trip Reports service are available on the Coastguard website.[14] The information collected includes:

• Boat name and callsign
• Where you are travelling to
• Number of People onboard (POB)
• When you plan to arrive

Coastguard New Zealand operates a subsidiary, Coastguard Boating Education (CBE). The organisation runs education events, such as classes for female skippers,[15] and two Hauraki Gulf cruises highlighting popular anchorages and hazard awareness.[16] Many courses are offered with a number being NZQA-accredited. Some of the most popular courses include:

• Day Skipper
• Boatmaster
• Maritime VHF Radio Operator Certificate
• Maritime Restricted Radio Operator Certificate (MRROC)

More information is available on the Coastguard Boating Education website.

Available on platforms such as Android and iOS there is a Coastguard application available to download, this application can give you access to be able to log a trip with Coastguard without having to call Coastguard Radio on the phone of on the VHF radio. It can also give the weather information for your local area and give you other information such as Coastguard Radio map. It also can provide tidal information and allow you to plot locations on a map for memory, for an example fishing spots, etc.

As part of a water safety campaign, Coastguard is conducting a programme where old, and oftentimes unserviceable, lifejackets can be replaced at a lower cost than the retail price. More information is available on the Old4New website.

In the 2018 financial year, Coastguard New Zealand received $10.6m in income and had $9.9m in expenses.[11]

• 47% Grants
• 27% Lottery ticket sales
• 10% Examination fees
• 13% Donations
• 1% Sale of publications
• 2% Interest and other income

• 42% Support for regions and units
• 17% Direct lottery expenditure
• 16% Professional services and other costs
• 13% Income stream development
• 6% Boating Education services
• 3% Public safety and communications
• 2% Accommodation
• 1% Governance and AGM

• Coastguard rescues drunks from island after party of 500 gets out of hand
• Boat capsizes off Northland coast
• Pair rescued from troubled boat listing in darkness on Lake Taupo

• US Coastguard to the 'rescue' in Auckland exercises