Media release 7 March, 2025 - As summer draws to a close, Coastguard is reflecting on a season shaped by mixed weather and strong winds, which kept volunteers busy on the water. Despite the challenges, thousands of Kiwis played their part in staying safe while enjoying our oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Coastguard volunteers responded to 1,232 incidents, while bringing 3,210 people home to safety, between 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025. The most common callouts included mechanical or equipment failures, overdue boaties, swimmers and kayakers in difficulty, as well as boats capsizing, drifting or running aground. The busiest day was 8 February, with 42 callouts.
Boaties also took proactive steps to stay safe, logging 113,487 trip reports with Coastguard to share their plans before heading out. A daily record was set on 1 February, with 4,330 reports logged.
Bar crossings remain one of the most dangerous activities for boaties, and Coastguard’s Bar Watch service played a crucial role in providing an essential safety net. This summer, boaties logged 10,402 bar crossings, with the busiest day on 7 February, when 753 bar crossing trip reports were recorded - the highest number ever.
Alongside responding to callouts, Coastguard was involved in several major search and rescue efforts. Volunteers dedicated hundreds of hours to missions, including a missing jetskier in the Cook Strait in February, the Christmas Day rescue in Fiordland, and two searches in February for missing swimmers at Sumner, Canterbury. Coastguard extends its heartfelt thanks to the incredible volunteers for their tireless efforts and lifesaving mahi this season.
Prevention remained a major focus, ensuring Kiwis were equipped with essential safety knowledge and gear. Water Safety New Zealand’s 2024 drowning data underscored the importance of this work, revealing a concerning statistic - 16 out of 18 watercraft fatalities involved people not wearing lifejackets.
Coastguard’s Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade initiative tackled this issue, with 1,185 old, worn-out lifejackets exchanged for brand-new Hutchwilco lifejackets at a discounted price. Held at 78 locations nationwide, the Old4New team also provided lifejacket fitting and servicing advice, local boating safety tips, and information on education courses.
Education was front and centre through Coastguard’s free Bar Awareness Seminar roadshow, where 2,175 boaties gained life-saving knowledge to better understand the risks of crossing their local bar.
While summer may be over, many Kiwis will still be heading out on the water over long weekends and public holidays. With MetService forecasting a chilly and stormy start to autumn, it continues to be important to stay prepared. Coastguard urges all boaties to remember the essentials - always wear your lifejacket, take two forms of waterproof communication, check the forecast, and log your trip with Coastguard.
ENDS
Notes to journalists:
Contact Rebekah Wilson to request interviews, additional images and data.
