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The Aviation Industry Association
of New Zealand (Inc) is the organisation of commercial aviation in New Zealand. It has in excess of 300 members.
One of its divisions is the Air Rescue/Air Ambulance section which provides assets in the form of fixed wing and rotary wing services to assist in search and rescue operations over land and coastal areas of the New Zealand search and rescue region.
AIA members provide SAR services for the Rescue Co-ordination Centre during most beacon searches
and with specialised systems based at Taupo, Auckland, Dunedin and Hastings they assist
in the event of searches off the coast.
In addition, many emergencies off the coast which may be outside of the range of the
Coast Guard, are also responded to by AIA resources. These types of incidents include instances of sick or injured seamen located on commercial vessels operating in the expansive marine areas surrounding our country.
Many land based searches also utilise the helicopters of AIA members to assist in transportation of SAR resources as well as retrieval of victims.
For further information about the Aviation Industry Association, click
here to visit their website.
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Ambulance New Zealand represents the collective interests of the range of New Zealand ambulance services.
These ambulance services consist of the order of St John (the major operator), the Wellington Free Ambulance Service, health boards and a number of private operators.
There are approximately 3500 ambulance officers in New Zealand of
whom about 2500 are volunteer personnel. Volunteer ambulance
officers are utilised in the lower workload and more geographically
remote areas of the country.
On an annual basis, the New Zealand ambulance services deal with over 500,000 calls each year in which upwards of 300,000 people are transported with two thirds of those being emergency or urgent cases.
Many SAR incidents involve the attendance of ambulance personnel to assist in the application of initial medical aid, and the transportation of SAR victims to medical facilities.
The Wellington Free ambulance service operates a specialist rescue squad that often works with other SAR agencies at incidents. The work undertaken by the Rescue Squad is diverse and ranges from off road accidents and vehicles over banks, to aeroplane crashes and boats swept onto rocks. The squad is called to construction site rescues and local search and rescue missions.
The Squad is used to supplement any situation where patient recovery is likely to involve the use of rescue equipment, rope work, or winching techniques. It provides 24 hour a day, 7-day a week emergency rescue services and can be enroute to an incident within minutes of a call, anywhere in the greater Wellington region.
For further information about the St John ambulance service, click here to visit their website.
For further information about the Wellington Free ambulance service, click here to visit their website.
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The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications organisation is a network of amateur radio operators throughout New Zealand who provide communication services to emergency services at incidents.
AREC had its founding amid the disasterous Napier earthquake of 1931, in which the only form of communication available to people was via Amateur Radio operators in Napier to Wellington. The mode of transmission was Morse code.
This was the only system operating for several days until the French Navy arrived in port. After that traumatic event, it was seen that there was a need for the establishment of a more co-ordinated approach to disaster communications.
So a group was established under the parent umbrella of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, this group was then called the ARES, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, later to be renamed the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps, AREC. Recently AREC has again had a name change to Amateur Radio Emergency Communications.
Over the following years it was expanded throughout New Zealand with the establishment of sections of the parent group, formed along para-military lines with an Officer in Charge and Deputy, followed by Area Officers and then section leaders and last but not least the members. This group plays a very important part
of supplying specialised communications where required.
The objectives of AREC are:
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To train and provide competent radio communications personnel, who are suitably skilled in assisting organisations during emergencies.
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To maintain a close liaison with the N.Z. Police for Search and Rescue.
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To maintain a close liaison with Civil Defence in New Zealand.
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To maintain liaison with other community organisations.
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To provide and maintain suitable equipment appropriate to the emergency situation
For further information about AREC, click here to visit their website.
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The Royal New Zealand Coastguard provides New Zealand's primary maritime Search and Rescue service.
The Coastguard operates from a network of 65 affiliated units, strategically located around the coastline and major lakes of New Zealand. These units have all been established by a concerned community, usually after a local boating tragedy.
The Coastguard is a volunteer organization with charitable status. It is a self funded and operates on contributions from sponsorship, fundraising and the network of community and gaming trusts around New Zealand.
The Coastguard membership comprises approximately 2500 dedicated active volunteers and 12000 supporter members. There are currently 75 dedicated rescue vessels in the Coastguard fleet and the Coastguard has access to aeroclub aircraft at 9 locations from Kerikeri to Invercargill. In addition to these, the Coastguard still uses a number of privately owned rescue vessels in some parts of the country.
Every year the Coastguard network of radio operators answer hundreds of thousands of calls for help or assistance and on average, over 5000 people are assisted. The work performed by the Coastguard has resulted in a number of lives saved and millions of dollars worth of boats and equipment salvaged.
In addition to Search and Rescue, the Coastguard also provides a Boating Education Service which delivers a variety of boating safety courses to the New Zealand public.
It is only through better education, that people will learn to respect the water and know what to do if an emergency occurs. A number of non emergency services are also provided, such as the presence of safety boats at marine events and a national radio network. This network provides marine weather information and local marine communications services.
To visit the web site of the Royal New Zealand Coastguard Federation, click here.
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The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) do not retain personnel solely for use on search and rescue activities, however many NZDF personnel participate in SAR activities on an "as required" basis. The NZDF also maintains a roster of personnel on call for any SAR events. The resources available for commitment to SAR in the New Zealand Search and Rescue region consists of the following:
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Six (6) P3K Orion aircraft
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Five (5) C130H Hercules aircraft
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Fifteen (15) UH-1H Iroquois helicopters
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One Navy vessel at 8 hours readiness for oceanic SAR
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One Navy vessel at 4 hours readiness for coastal SAR
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Army ground rescue parties
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Military manpower, vehicles, equipment, communications and logistic support
To visit the web site of the New Zealand Defence Force, click here.
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The New Zealand Department of Conservation
(DoC), is the government department charged with conserving New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage for all to enjoy now and into the future.
The Department aims to foster education, and make the areas it manages accessible for the public to enjoy and appreciate safely.
In many of the mountainous regions of the country, DoC personnel comprise the initial response resource in the event that a SAR incident occours.
The Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring and Mt Taranaki regions are three such areas in which the DoC staff respond to SAR incidents requiring the location and rescue of members of the public from hazardous situations.
The SAR response crews made up from DoC personnel, are generally utilised in general DoC activities until a SAR event occours, at which time their specialist training and expertise is brought to bear to assist in life saving operations.
In the last few years, there have been a number of high profile and tragic incidents involving climbers in New Zealand's mountain areas, and DoC SAR personnel have figured prominantly in the response to those situations.
For further information about the Department of Conservation, click here to visit their website.
To read about the Mt Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Association, click here to visit their website.
To read about the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park SAR unit, click here to visit their website.
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The New Zealand Fire Service has as it's mission to reduce the incidence and consequence of fire
and to provide a professional response to other emergencies.
With around 10,000 personnel and 450 fire stations throughout the country, the New Zealand Fire Service provides a large resource of personnel, equipment and expertise that can be utilised in a variety of emergency situations.
There are many instances, especially in rural or remote locations, where fire service personnel have actively assisted at search and rescue incidents.
The New Zealand Fire Service also operates a number of urban search and rescue squads, whose primary role is in the area of victim extrication from collapsed building structures. However the personnel and equipment may be used to assist in the retrieval of search and rescue victims from situations of entrapment in isolated locations, such as downed aircraft in mountainous terrain.
For further information about the New Zealand Fire Service, click here to visit their website.
For further information about the New Zealand Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue teams, click here to visit their website.
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Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) is a national volunteer organisation within New Zealand providing Land Search & Rescue Services to the Police and public of New Zealand.
LandSAR is an organisation which has over 2,500 trained Search & Rescue volunteers, who are members of 54 Land Search & Rescue groups, organised into seven regions, covering the length and breadth of New Zealand; and two national specialist groups – LandSAR Search Dogs and LandSAR Caving. Other specialist groups such as Alpine Cliff Rescue and Swift Water Rescue operate on a local level where there is a requirement for these specialist skills. LandSAR assist Police in suburban/urban and wilderness/rural search & rescue operations, underground search & rescue operations in caves or other natural underground areas, shoreline Search & Rescue operations linked to marine incidents, and other agreed Search & Rescue operations.
LandSAR has a full time business manger officer based in Wellington
and two field officers, one for each island. The rest of the organisation is maintained by
volunteers.
For further information about the New Zealand LandSAR, click
here to visit their website.
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The New Zealand Mountain Safety
Council was formed in 1966 in response to a growing concern over an
increasing number of accidents in the bush and mountains. The Council has developed into an organisation with 28 Branches, 1000 volunteer instructors and 17 member organisations.
including a professional staff of ten.
Representatives from a number of government and recreational organisations formed an incorporated society with the goal of enhancing safety in outdoor adventure activities.
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Develop and monitor training programmes
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Produce technical manuals
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Provide administrative support and information
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Publicise outdoor safety.
Groups of acknowledged experts advise the Council on current practices, equipment and standards in their respective areas and are responsible to the Council for steering the work of Programme Managers.
The mission of the Mountain Safety Council is to:
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enable people to enjoy their recreation safely in the outdoors
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foster positive community support for outdoor safety
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promote the development and maintenance of national outdoor safety standards for land-based activities.
For further information about the Mountain Safety Council, click
here to visit their website.
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Maritime NZ is a Crown Entity
established in 1993 under the name Maritime Safety Authority. It was
renamed Maritime NZ in July 2005. Its origins, however, go back to 1862
with the establishment of the Marine Board. After a period of control by
the Customs Department in the late nineteenth century, it operated as
the Marine Department until 1972, at which time it was absorbed into the
Ministry of Transport. Maritime NZ is governed by an independent Board.
Appointed by the
Government, the five-member Board directs overall strategy, and appoints
the Director of Maritime NZ who manages the organisation.
Maritime New
Zealand’s role is to ensure the marine environment is safe, secure and
clean for all its users, and that it stays that way well into the
future. Some 130 staff work throughout New Zealand, with the majority
based in Wellington at its national office. There are also ten regional
offices around New Zealand and there are two large teams based in
Auckland and Avalon – the National Oil Spill Service Centre and Rescue
Coordination Centre New Zealand respectively. Maritime NZ serves a wide
range of maritime activity – from large merchant ships arriving in New
Zealand from overseas, through to small recreational craft.
Maritime NZ is has interests in:
For further information about the Maritime NZ, click
here to visit their website.
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The New Zealand Police co-ordinate search and rescue activities in New
Zealand for Class I and Class II searches. The Rescue
Co-ordination Centre co-ordinates Class III searches that involve activations of Emergency Locator Beacons, missing aircraft and ships at sea.
Class I
searches are where the Police do not require any additional assistance
and Class II searches where assistance is needed.
Police officers in each district are trained as Search and Rescue
(SAR) Co-ordinators. They work with volunteer groups
such as the Royal New Zealand Coast Guard Federation, the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps(AREC) and the New Zealand
Land Search and Rescue Inc., and other similar organisations.
The Police are usually the first point of notification when people are
overdue from an outdoor activity such as tramping, boating, or hunting.
A SAR response is initiated and if necessary the Coast Guard, New
Zealand Land Search and Rescue and AREC volunteers are called in to help.
Police co-ordinate the search using the expertise of skilled volunteers
such as land and marine advisers.
The Police annually control over 1100 land and marine search and
rescue incidents. Occasionally a search is called off within an hour,
but some searches can go for several days and involve police search and
rescue squad members, Coastguard, New Zealand Land SAR, rescue
helicopters, Defence Forces, and other volunteers.
This information has been gathered from the New Zealand Police website. To visit the Police website page of the SAR group, click here.
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The Rescue Co-ordination Centre of New Zealand
(RCCNZ) is responsible for co-ordinating all Class 3 SAR incidents in the New Zealand Search and Rescue region.
RCCNZ operates 24 hour, 7 day a week as a full time manned national search and rescue co-ordination centre, with two SARMCs (Search and Rescue Mission Co-ordinators) on duty at any one time.
The RCCNZ is located in the same building and floor as the
Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) at the Avalon Television Studio building in Lower Hutt. This is a full time facility responsible for the co-ordination of maritime radio traffic and marine vessel movements throughout a region comparable to the New Zealand Search and Rescue region.
The creation of the RCCNZ resulted from a number of reviews of the NZ SAR sector and, in particular the co-ordination of resources by the RCCNZ's predecessor the NRCC, which operated from the Civil Aviation Authority head office in Lower Hutt.
Search and rescue responders in New Zealand can have confidence in the comprehensive training of the RCCNZ personnel, as well as the state of the art equipment that has been outfitted into the new facility.
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The New Zealand Search
and Rescue Secretariat
(NZ SAR Secretariat) is modelled
loosely on the Canadian National SAR Secretariat. It supports the SAR Council
with access to information, advice and support services necessary for the SAR
Council to perform its governance role effectively. The
NZ SAR Secretariat Manager also chairs the SAR Consultative Committee.
The Secretariat also
provides policy advice and development, serves as an ideas initiator and
ensures implementation of the measures necessary for strong strategic
SAR co-ordination. The Secretariat does not have an operational SAR
role.
Since its inception, the
SAR Secretariat has been funded by allocations from Police,
NZDF, CAA and Maritime NZ. MoT provides administrative support and
meets unanticipated costs.
The NZ SAR Secretariat
currently comprises only of the Secretariat Manager.
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The Civil Aviation Authority
The CAA establishes civil aviation safety and security
standards, and monitors adherence to those standards. The CAA carries
out accident and incident investigations and collates this material to
establish an industry-wide safety picture.
 This becomes the basis of
safety initiatives ranging from education campaigns to increased
monitoring and regulatory action. The Director of the CAA is a
member of the Search and Rescue Council and staff members are part of
the SAR Consultative Committee.
For further information about the Civil Aviation Authority, click
here to visit their website.
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The vision of the Ministry of Transport
is to lead transport solutions for New Zealand. We work to implement the
Government’s New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS) which aims to create an
affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system. 
The Ministry provide leadership to
other organisations in the transport sector and are guided by our
vision and our values which include integrity, communication, people matter,
leadership, positive relationships and effective action. The Secretary of
Transport is the Chair of the Search and Rescue Council and the Ministry houses
the Search and Rescue Secretariat.
For further information about the Ministry of
Transport, click here to visit their website.
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The Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) is based in the Avalon Television Studios building in Lower Hutt
and is a facility designed and managed by Kordia for Maritime New
Zealand.
This purpose built operations centre is staffed continuously by shift personnel who monitor maritime radio traffic as well as movements of all marine vessels in the New Zealand maritime area of responsibility (NAVAREA XIV). This area corresponds to the New Zealand search and rescue region.
The MOC continuously monitors international distress frequencies in both the HF and VHF bands for SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea)
responsibilities. The MOC monitors NAVAREA XIV – the largest area of responsibility in the world, stretching from the equator to the
South Pole and from half way across the Tasman Sea to halfway towards South America. This area equates to 50 million square
kilometres of ocean that makes up 12.5% of the earth’s total water surface.
For further information about the Maritime Operations Centre, click
here to visit the Kordia website.
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The
Federation of Commercial Fishermen
primarily
represents owner operators in the New Zealand fishing industry.
For further information, please visit
www.nzfishfed.co.nz
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Antarctica New Zealand's
purpose for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
is advancing knowledge, appreciation and conservation, of
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean for the benefit of New Zealand and the world
community, through leadership, partnership, and involvement in high quality
Antarctic related activities.
 Antarctica New Zealand was
established under the New Zealand Antarctic Institute Act 1996
and is responsible for:
- developing;
- managing; and
- administering
New Zealand's activities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean,
particularly the Ross Sea region. Antarctica New Zealand is also
responsible for enhancing New Zealand scientific research, and providing
sound environmental stewardship. In addition to supporting scientific
research through logistics planning and scholarships, Antarctica New
Zealand runs arts, media and education programmes. These increase public
awareness and appreciation of Antarctica and its conservation values.
Antarctica New Zealand is responsible for the year-round management of
Scott Base. The Base provides services and accommodation for the many
research parties and groups who visit Antarctica during the summer.
For further information about the Antarctica New Zealand, click
here to visit their website.
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