Coastguard Units Receive Special Commendation For Earthquake Recovery

Canterbury, Sumner Lifeboat, Waimakariri Ashley, Canterbury Air Patrol and Kaikoura Coastguard units received a special commendation for their outstanding efforts during the earthquake recovery at the annual National Coastguard Awards Dinner, held in Nelson on Saturday.

The award was one of six given to individuals and Coastguard units whose contributions to the organisation were recognised, as the New Zealand Coastguard community came together to honour the year’s achievements.

Volunteers from units including Canterbury, Sumner Lifeboat, Waimakariri Ashley, Kaikoura and Canterbury CAP, played an instrumental role in supporting Civil Defence following the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes, and subsequent strong aftershocks.

“Whether it was helping at the city’s welfare centres, assisting at the local fire station, retrieving property from buildings within the Red Zone or helping residents to get to their houses safely, the assistance provided to communities in need throughout the Canterbury region was truly a combined effort from all five units and we can’t thank our volunteers enough for their dedication and service,” said Coastguard New Zealand President, Colin Small.

After the September earthquake, Coastguard volunteers played a key part in the management of the Linwood Welfare Centre where the Unit’s CIMS training, IMT structure and their positive attitude proved invaluable in the efficient and professional running of the centre.

February’s 6.3 earthquake devastated Christchurch and as part of the relief effort, Coastguard was tasked to prepare Cowles Stadium as a welfare centre. Simultaneously the small seaside town of Sumner was cut off and Coastguard Sumner Lifeboat volunteers helped facilitate incident management for the Fire Brigade at Sumner, enabling them to better assist locals in need.

Coastguard protocol proved invaluable with Civil Defence, who adopted many of their processes as their own good practice. During the recovery period, Coastguard personnel from many units devoted over 5000 hours of service

“The courageous dedication that all of these Units showed during the earthquake recovery is exemplary,” said Mr Small.

“During these difficult times, volunteers from all of these Units have been selfless in their response. Volunteers worked tirelessly together and their professionalism has resulted in many commendations from other emergency service departments who have been impressed with their efforts.

“Coastguard is able to continue the work it does to save lives at sea thanks to the dedication of volunteers like those from these Units and we are pleased to be able to honour those outstanding individuals who make it all possible with these awards.”

Coastguard is New Zealand’s primary provider of marine search and rescue services. It is made up of highly-trained volunteers who put themselves in harm’s way on a regular basis to ensure the safety of people at sea. This year 2,224 brave volunteers brought 6,996 Kiwis safely back to land and devoted a significant 348,346 hours to keeping New Zealander’s safe on the water.

“This year’s award winners have all shown outstanding service to Coastguard and their local boating communities, and our sincere thanks goes out to those volunteers for their commitment to saving lives at sea,” says Small.

There are six categories for the awards –


TracPlus Volunteer of the Year                        Doug Griffin                            Coastguard West Coast

Rescue of the Year                                            Coastguard Waiheke Island

Operational Volunteer of the Year                   Stephen Clews                        Coastguard Whakatane

Chevron Air Patrol Volunteer of the Year       Warren Dooney                      Coastguard Auckland Air Patrol

Chevron Rescue Vessel Volunteer of the Year     Nelson Colyer                         Coastguard Canterbury

Special Commendation – Earthquake Recovery   Coastguard Canterbury                                                                                                                                             Sumner Lifeboat

                                                                              Waimakariri Ashley                                                                                                                                                   Canterbury Air Patrol

                                                                              Kaikoura


The individual award recipients will receive a prize that assists in furthering their education, and professional development, within Coastguard.

Other winners:

Coastguard Waiheke Island – Rescue of the Year - In January this year, Coastguard Waiheke Island was called out to a vessel which had struck some rocks at Motorua Island in the Coromandel. The crew had already been out on the water for four hours attending other calls but raced out to assist the stricken boat which wasn’t coping well in the rough seas. The crew managed to convince the men to stay onboard despite their intention to jump into a small inflatable which could have proved fatal. Waiheke Rescue then managed to get in close enough to get both men on board safely despite the waves pounding the foundering vessel during the rescue.

Warren Dooney – Air Patrol Volunteer of the Year – Warren Dooney received the Air Patrol Volunteer of the Year for performing well above expectations. Warren has made training and volunteer recruitment a priority for the Unit this year which has been extremely successful and all of his dedication and groundwork will hold the Unit in good stead.

Stephen Clews, Operational Volunteer of the Year – Stephen Clews from Coastguard Whakatane was recognised for his work with the Unit’s technical projects. He played a key role in the radio communications upgrade and new vessel research and development. Stephen is also a Senior Master actively involved in marine search and rescue. At a Regional level, his input into the Centralised Radio Communications Hub proof of concept has been greatly appreciated.

Nelson Colyer, Rescue Vessel Volunteer of the Year – Nelson played a pivotal role in the successful rescue of the tug 'Rakanui' in April this year. He selflessly took control of the foundering vessel which was at risk of sinking, taking ownership of the salvage pump from the exhausted crew member and helping to bring the water levels to a manageable level. Both men and the vessel were brought back to shore safely thanks to Nelson overseeing the long arduous journey.

Doug Griffin, Volunteer of the Year – Doug’s strong social and community spirit has been clear during his 14 year tenure at Coastguard. His passion and organizational skills have lead to him the Unit’s only Skipper while also acting as the Training Officer. As the only member of the unit holding a Certificate of Competency qualification, Doug turns out for every rescue, on water training activity and SAREX.