SAVING LIVES ON THE WATER
HERE TO HELP WHATEVER YOUR WAKA
From boaties to boarders, Coastguard Sumner volunteers respond to anyone in trouble on the water — across Pegasus Bay and to south of Banks Peninsula.
We’re a charity powered by donations. Support us to stay on call, day and night.
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We Make a Difference
Every year Coastguard Sumner assists, rescues and saves whanau, friends and tamariki who get into trouble in Aotearoa waters. Here’s our stats for the last year.
People assisted home to safety
LIVES SAVED
People Rescued from danger
THE COASTGUARD SUMNER STORY
2025 unit of year & rescue of year
Coastguard Sumner was privileged to receive the Unit of the Year and Rescue of the Year Awards at the national Coastguard Volunteer of Excellence Awards 2025. These are the two most prestigious team awards and reflect the outstanding commitment and capability of our volunteers.
About coastguard sumner
At Coastguard Sumner, we’re proud to be a volunteer-powered rescue service that’s always ready — day or night — to help people and vessels in distress across Banks Peninsula and Pegasus Bay.
Volunteer Maritime Search and Rescue
on-call, all volunteers
Our People
Coastguard Sumner runs entirely on volunteer power — locals who give their time, skill, and heart to keep others safe on the water. From students to retirees, our 40-strong operations crew includes everyone from new trainees to veteran skippers. They are backed by a 10 person volunteer Board providing vital governance skills.
Callouts
A callout could be anything from assisting a sinking yacht, to searching for a missing surfer, to evacuating a sick person by sea from a remote coastal location.
Our Vessels
Our fleet of vessels is equipped to handle rescues close to shore in big surf through to night-time missions going miles offshore.
A wide area of operations
Hurunui River to south of Banks Peninsula
Our operations cover a vast coastal area – from Point Gibson just north of the Hurunui River down to just south of the Banks Peninsula. We also go 12 nautical miles (about 22km) out to sea.
Incidents can be anything from a surfer caught in the rip at Scarborough to a kayaker missing off Godley Head to a yacht in trouble out at sea.
We operate day and night. We are equipped and train for incidents at night-time and have infrared cameras and night vision binoculars to aid searching.
Latest News item
7 Callouts over Christmas
The Christmas/New Year holiday period kept us busy with 7 callouts, the first being mid-afternoon on Christmas Day. About a dozen volunteer crew left their Christmas celebrations to respond to a report of two swimmers in difficulties off New Brighton pier. Our jet ski Ian Dewe Rescue was launched with 2 crew but returned to base soon after as the swimmers had made it safely to shore. A good result, so our volunteers closed up the station and returned to their families. However, as well as...
100% Volunteer crew
MORE News
Global Recognition for Drone Innovation
Coastguard Sumner volunteer Daniel Manchester has returned from an inspiring trip to California at an international drone technology conference. Daniel and his employer Proform Group were honoured as one of three international finalists for DroneDeploy’s prestigious...
Open Day 2025
At this year’s Open Day visitors got an up-close look at our operations and enjoyed chatting with our dedicated volunteers. From ‘casualty’ pickups to precision manoeuvres near the breakwater, our live demos showcased the impressive rescue skills of our volunteers....
Tech & Teamwork Aid Water Safety
Water safety skills are vital for Kiwi kids. Coastguard Sumner recently featured in Stuff's campaign to raise funds to teach 10,000 Kiwi kids safe swimming this summer. Coastguard Sumner's Dave Passmore was interviewed about his experiences helping rescue a 6-year-old...
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For Boaties
Safety on the Water
Coastguard has a wealth of material to help boaties stay safe on the water, from tips and tools to education courses.
Coastguard Resources
Whether you are skipper or crew, take a look at Coastguard’s safety on the water information – from key essentials for new boaties to tips on maintenance to boating on a budget.
Want to acquire more boating knowledge? Check out Coastguard’s education courses.
Planning a bar crossing?
They can be one of the trickiest and riskiest parts of boating in Aotearoa. Watch the video (click on the ‘Top Tips for Keeping Safe’ image) to learn how to keep safe.