MEDIA RELEASE
20 July 2011

Coastguard takes Auckland MP through her water safety paces

Marine safety was high on the agenda for Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye as she was taken through her paces on the Waitemata Harbour by Coastguard today.

Joining the volunteer crew from Coastguard’s Howick Unit aboard their rescue vessel, Howick Rescue, Ms Kaye was shown firsthand exactly why Coastguard is so important when it comes to keeping Aucklanders safe at sea.

The local MP was first given a tour of the Coastguard Regional Communications Centre at Mechanics Bay, before being taken out on the Waitemata Harbour.

Joe Davis, President of Coastguard Northern Region, says these opportunities to meet with our local members of parliament are invaluable for showing how critical the support of both local and central government is to the organisation – assisting Coastguard in fulfilling its community promise of saving lives at sea.

“Having influential members of our community like Nikki, out on one of our rescue vessels serves as an effective platform for us to reinforce just how important the service is that our people provide every day – not only in Auckland but right around the coast and major lakes of New Zealand.

“The Auckland Central electorate spans from Western Springs and Ponsonby out to Waiheke and Great Barrier Island, so it was fantastic for us to take Ms Kaye out and provide her with an insight into how we are keeping boaties safe within the area she represents,” says Joe.

“Our volunteers are the heroes of Coastguard so these opportunities also enable them to tell their story while giving our political representatives a clear understanding of their selfless work, and countless hours they invest as part of volunteering for Coastguard, over 340,000 in the past 12 months.”

An Aucklander born and bred, Nikki Kaye says she is passionate about water safety so it was a fantastic opportunity to join Coastguard and learn about safe boating.

“It’s important that Aucklanders feel they can enjoy our gorgeous harbour safely. It is obvious that Coastguard plays a large part in ensuring that this is the case and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about what they do and the charitable service they provide to our local communities.”

Coastguard is a charity with 71 Rescue Units around the coast and inland waterways. Coastguard Northern Region comprises of 25 of these rescue units, of which 14 are located within Auckland, with a total of 1021 volunteers. Last year in the Region they attended to 1,879 incidents, with Auckland call-outs accounting for 70 percent of rescues.

ENDS

About Coastguard
Coastguard is the charity that provides New Zealand’s primary maritime search and rescue service. The organisation operates from a network of four regions and 71 affiliated Units, located around the coastline and major lakes of New Zealand. Coastguard New Zealand is a volunteer organisation with a charitable status. It has more than 18,000 supporter members and 2,268 active Professional Volunteers who provide over 350,000 hours of their time each year to educate, protect and help save lives at sea. Coastguard performs over 3,000 rescues each year assisting over 6,000 New Zealanders. There are currently 72 dedicated rescue vessels in Coastguard New Zealand’s fleet, 10 air patrol Units and one dedicated communications unit. All crew members on board Coastguard vessels and air patrol craft are trained search and rescue personnel working to enhance the safety of all New Zealanders when they participate in boating and water activities.

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