25/09/2026
It has been a quiet time for Coastguard Mana recently. Winter is usually a time when many boaties prefer to stay warm and dry at home but this year winter really has been quiet in the Porirua area although around the country, numbers have been up. Is it just a case of Wellington weather being worse than the rest of NZ?
Coastguard NZ have released some interesting stats for the country.
Callouts, serious incidents and fatalities fell in winter 2026, two years after Coastguard's worst season on record.
New Coastguard data shows fewer winter callouts and fewer serious incidents in 2026 than in any winter since 2021. Boating fatalities were at a two-year low.
Between June and August 2026, Coastguard volunteers responded to 357 incidents nationwide, the lowest winter total since 2021, when volunteers responded to 413.
Callouts, where someone's life was in danger, fell to 48; the lowest figure in six years of data. And boating-related fatalities dropped to five, down by more than two-thirds from the 16 recorded over the same three months in 2024.
That decline holds up when set against how many people were out on the water. Winter trip reports, logged via the Coastguard App and VHF radio, rose from 22,894 in 2021 to 33,776 in 2026, up 47.5%, as more boaties headed out each winter. Even so, the rate of incidents per 10,000 trips fell from 180 in 2021 to 106 in 2026, a 41% improvement, faster than the drop in raw incident numbers alone.
The 2024 winter is still remembered clearly by Coastguard crews around the country. A run of severe weather contributed to a string of tragedies, including two separate fatal capsizes on the same day in early August that claimed three lives in each incident. It was one of the toughest winters on Coastguard's books.
In the two years since, Coastguard has significantly expanded its safety education and community outreach work. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Safety Series launched in May 2025, with NZ Sports Fishing Council, bringing free pre-season safety seminars to offshore anglers after a run of tragedies during the 2024 tuna season. Coastguard's Bar Awareness Roadshow scaled up to a full nationwide programme through the second half of 2025, delivering 58 seminars across 43 locations, including 14 communities visited for the first time and reaching more than 3,000 people, a 39% increase on the year before. And free Suddenly in Charge workshops kept building, giving the people who are usually along for the ride, often partners and family members, the confidence and skills to take the helm if they ever need to.
“These numbers are genuinely heartening,” says Kylie Higgs, General Manager Response and Operations at Coastguard Tautiaki Moana. “2024 was one of the hardest winters our volunteers have faced, and it's part of why we've put so much into our community outreach programmes these past two years. We hope that will all contribute to the improvement we're seeing, because every winter still catches someone out.”
Coastguard is careful not to put the improvement down to any single programme, or even one encouraging season. Weather and chance shape every winter on the water, and a good year doesn't undo a bad one. That was underlined this week: Coastguard Manawatū volunteers responded to a fatal incident on Monday 14 September, a stark reminder that conditions can turn quickly no matter how far the numbers have come. It's encouraging that the two winters since 2024's toll have also been Coastguard's two biggest years yet for community engagement programmes - but for the volunteers who turn out on every callout, this week is proof the job is never finished.
Spring is here and the weather will be getting warmer and with daylight saving kicking off this weekend, it is expected a lot of boaties will be dusting off the cobwebs and heading out when the weather allows.
This would be an opportune time to remind boaties to do some checks before they take to the water this summer especially if their boats have been hibernating over winter and the wonderful Wellington spring.
Check your boat's batteries are fully charged and still working correctly.
Test EPIRBs/PLBs by utilising the self-check function and check those battery expiry dates.
Check the gas canisters on the inflatable personal flotation devices (PFD) for corrosion and have a good look at the bladders.
Make a test call with the marine VHF radio to check it is still working correctly (and complete a radio course with Coastguard Education if you haven't done one).
Think about the fuel on your boat. Has it been sitting in the tank since last summer? Should it be replaced?
Have you got a Coastguard membership? With a Coastguard Membership you get free non-urgent on-water assistance 24/7 for breakdowns, flat batteries, fuel issues and more. We’ll get you up and running or back to shore safely without a steep towing fee.
