Coastguard Nelson

03/10/2026

🚤 Coastguard Nelson is heading to the NZ Fishing, Hunting & 4x4 Expo at the Trafalgar Centre!

📅 Save the date: 16–18 October!

Come along, meet the crew and chat about water safety and all things Coastguard. Whether you’re a seasoned boatie or just getting started, we’ll help you get ready for a safe summer on the water. ☀️ 🌊 🚤

Bring your questions and stop by for a yarn. We’d love to see you!

02/10/2026

🔧 A little time on dry land to keep us ready for action!

Hohapata Sealord Rescue (HSR) was out of the water this week for some scheduled TLC. The awesome crew from HamiltonJet tackled her 2,000 hour jet servicing, while local legends Marine and General carried out the engine inspections, including valve clearance checks and heat exchanger inspections.

Our crew also rolled up their sleeves and gave her a polish. Even a rescue vessel deserves a bit of a glow-up! ✨

A special thanks to Nelson Marina for lifting HSR out onto their newly refurbished hardstand, and to ENL for helping us with a new transducer that was unexpectedly required. We really appreciate your support!

She’s now back in the water, looking sharp and ready for a stunning Nelson summer and whatever calls come our way.

A big thanks to everyone who helped keep her in top shape and ready to do what she does best: saving lives at sea. 💙



HamiltonJet New Zealand
Marine & General Engineering
Nelson Marina
Electronic Navigation Ltd (ENL)
Coastguard New Zealand

29/09/2026

🔋🪫⚡ We’re positively charged about this one! ⚡🪫🔋

We couldn’t be more grateful to the locals and businesses who have come forward so far! We’ve been flat out collecting old batteries and turning them into something much more useful: funds to help keep Coastguard Nelson rescue-ready for summer. 🚤🌊

So if you’ve got a battery that’s dead, tired, flat or just giving off a bit too much negative energy, send it our way. 😄

Every battery recycled helps us charge up our funds and supports our crew to be ready when the call comes in.

Old car battery? Boat battery? Machinery battery?
Don’t dump it. Donate it.

Help us turn your old battery into a positive contribution towards saving lives at sea. 🔋💙
SavingLivesAtSea

28/09/2026

🪫 The battery drive is underway and our crew have been busy with collections! Support local and turn your old lead batteries into funds to help save lives at sea this summer!
Got an old battery? Drop us a message or comment below 👇
Thanks for your support 🙌

Coastguard Nelson seeks unwanted battery donations

26/09/2026

⚓ High Performance Workshop Day

A great day at base for our High Performance Essentials Workshop, delivered by Leanne and Zoe from Coastguard New Zealand.

We kicked things off in the best possible way with the Kara Breakfast, courtesy of Pete and Jo. Delicious bacon and egg butties filled our tummies before we filled our minds with plenty of feedback, ideas and discussion! 🥓🍳☕

The workshop gave our volunteers the opportunity to come together, step away from day-to-day operations, reflect on where we are as a Unit and, importantly, plan for where we want to go next.

We worked through a huge range of ideas including training, communication, induction and expectations, inclusion and safety, teamwork, volunteer support and strengthening our Units culture.

Of course, Coastguard life doesn’t always stick to the agenda…..During the day, our crew also responded to a callout to jump-start some local boaties and get them back up and running, as well as providing first aid assistance to a pedestrian on the roadside. A great example of our volunteers being ready to help, whether on the water or in our community. 💙

A key focus throughout the workshop was ensuring every volunteer feels welcomed, valued, supported and able to contribute, whether they are brand new to Coastguard or have been part of the crew for many years.

Days like this are an important part of planning for our future, ensuring Coastguard Nelson continues to grow and evolve. It’s about recognising what we do well, identifying where we can improve and working together to build an even stronger, more capable and connected Unit.

We wrapped up a very full day by celebrating our successes together over pizza at our favourite local, The Styx Nelson. 🍕🥂

🙌A massive thank you to Leanne and Zoe for facilitating the day along with Dion. Also a special thanks to Pete and Jo for a delicious breakfast, Scott Construction for lending us their BBQ trailer, and to all our volunteers who gave up their Saturday to contribute their experience, thoughts and ideas.

Coastguard Nelson
Coastguard New Zealand
Scott Construction Nelson

23/09/2026

🔋⚓ GOT AN OLD BATTERY? HELP US SAVE LIVES ON THE WATER! ☀️🚤

As the warmer weather arrives and more people head out on the water, our Coastguard Nelson volunteers are training hard and getting ready for another busy summer.

You can help us with the ongoing operational costs of running our rescue vessel and helping us get summer ready simply by donating your old lead-acid batteries!

Throughout September and October, we’re collecting old car, boat, machinery and equipment batteries. They’ll be responsibly recycled, with the funds raised going directly towards supporting Coastguard Nelson.

📍 DROP YOUR BATTERIES OFF AT:

🔋 CWS Motueka

🔋Nelson Marina Office

🔋 Nelson Marine Centre, Richmond

Got several batteries or a larger quantity? Get in touch with us and we can arrange collection.

♻️ Clear out the shed
💙 Support your local Coastguard
⚓ Help keep our volunteers trained, equipped and ready
☀️ Help us prepare for the busy summer boating season

Every battery counts, so have a look around the garage, shed or workshop and drop yours off today!



Nelson Marina
Complete Water Solutions
Nelson Marine Centre

20/09/2026

⚓🎣 What a great afternoon with the Dawnbreakers Fishing Club!

It was fantastic to be part of the Dawnbreakers Open Day today, connect with local boaties, families and also an awesome opportunity for the kids to have some fun while testing out our new water safety educational card games! 🌊🛟

Coastguard Nelson is incredibly grateful for the longstanding relationship we have with Dawnbreakers Fishing Club and for the continued support they have shown Coastguard Nelson over many years. 💙

If you’re looking for a friendly and welcoming local fishing club, Dawnbreakers is well worth checking out! With plenty of fishing competitions and prizes, informative guest speakers, social events and some great trips away, there’s something for everyone.

🎣 The new season is just around the corner, so now is a great time to join!

Thanks to the Dawnbreakers team for having us along today and for continuing to support Coastguard Nelson. ⚓💙

19/09/2026

The Dawnbreakers Fishing Club open day is on today and we’ll be joining them along with other various groups and organisations.
Come on down and check out all the local fishing club has to offer. A great group of people! 🎣

There are heaps of great perks that come with being a Dawnbreakers Fishing Club member!

Monthly events, social days, away trips, fishing comps, and loads of opportunities to win over $15k worth of prizes throughout the season. The club is welcoming, family-friendly, and caters for all fishos whether you’re casting from land, the kayak, jet ski, dinghy, trailer boat, or a launch.

In store discounts from some amazing local businesses including Hunting & Fishing Nelson Nelson Marine Centre, AquaFresh, Solid H2o Big Blue Dive & Fish Storage Nelson Richmond Aquatic Centre, HCB technologies and more.

Discounted entry to the annual Snapper Cup fishing competition!!

Make sure to come along to our Open Day, this Sunday, to find out more! The season starts 1st October.
Join before 3pm on Sunday to be in the draw to win an epic early bird prize valued at $370!

https://www.facebook.com/share/18GNroLxHu/

19/09/2026

🌊 MEET THE CREW | ANGELA GOVIER 🌊

Angela has been volunteering with Coastguard Nelson for two and a half years. She is a qualified wet crew member and is currently working towards achieving Senior Crew status.

When she’s not volunteering, Angela works as an Air Traffic Controller at Nelson Airport. After 26 years in the role, she moved to part-time work and was looking for a new challenge that would keep her learning while allowing her to give something back to the community.

Her favourite part of Coastguard is the people, the opportunity to learn something new every time she trains, and being out on the water with a fun, dedicated team. She also admits that getting time at the helm is a definite highlight!

Angela is particularly proud of qualifying as crew after putting plenty of preparation into her assessment. She also played a leading role in organising Coastguard Nelson’s 50th anniversary celebrations, helping mark an incredible milestone in our unit’s history.

Since joining, Angela has discovered a real interest in maritime navigation and chart work. She values these traditional skills as an important backup to modern electronic navigation and as knowledge worth preserving for future generations.

⚓ Angela’s number one boating safety tip:

“Always wear a lifejacket and make sure everyone on board wears one. Every time.”

She also encourages every boatie to know what to do and who to call if something goes wrong, and to ensure the rest of the crew knows too, just in case the skipper is the person needing help.

A few quick facts about Angela:

🍫 Rescue snack: Whittaker’s dark chocolate and mandarins
🕶️ Always in her gear bag: Sunnies and chocolate
🌅 Favourite local ocean spot: Out on the boat in summer, jumping in for a swim, or watching the sunset from Styx with a glass of rosé
💬 Three words her crew might use: Supportive, focused and fun

Angela also wants people to know that you don’t need a particular background or previous boating experience to become part of Coastguard. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and contribute both on the water and from the shore.

Thank you, Angela, for your dedication, enthusiasm and everything you bring to the Coastguard Nelson team! 💙🛟

17/09/2026

This week we held our Nelson Volunteer Coastguard AGM, bringing together our volunteers, supporters and special guests to reflect on another busy year of service to our community.

Our AGM is an important part of ensuring the continued strong governance, stability and professionalism of our unit. While much of what we do is seen out on the water, there is also a significant amount of work happening behind the scenes to ensure Coastguard Nelson remains well governed, financially responsible, operationally capable and ready to serve our community well into the future.

A strong and committed team, supported by our volunteers, helps ensure we continue to grow, adapt and maintain the high standards expected of a modern search and rescue organisation.

The evening was also an opportunity to recognise something incredibly important, the commitment of the people behind our unit.

🏅 Service Awards were presented to volunteers reaching significant milestones with Coastguard, acknowledging the many years, hours and weekends they have given to training, responding to callouts and helping keep people safe on the water.

All unit members were also presented with a special commemorative coin from Coastguard New Zealand to celebrate the year of the volunteer, honour their service and their commitment to volunteering.

A huge congratulations and thank you to all our Service Award recipients.

🎖️3 years - Sue Ware, Nik Joice and Keith Nolan
🎖️5 years - Flurina Gauler, Addie Lowe and Chris Taylor
🎖️10 years - Darren Cox
🎖️15 years - Wayne Ballantyne and Dave Gunter

We also farewelled unit member Hamish Kennedy, who leaves us to spend more time with his grandchildren in Canterbury.

We also extend our thanks to everyone who attended our AGM, including our guests from Coastguard New Zealand, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Police and the Nelson Harbour Master.