Coastguard provides the primary maritime search and rescue service in New Zealand. Our mission is saving lives at sea.  Every year over 8,000 people are brought home safely to their families because of the dedicated people who volunteer for Coastguard.  We are able to do this by being organised, trained and equipped 24/7.

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.

Coastguard volunteers spend many hundreds of thousands of hours on search and rescue missions, radio operations, training or maintenance work each year. They’re highly trained professional volunteers, so you can be safe in the knowledge that when you call Coastguard for help, you’ll be in expert hands.