SAVING LIVES ON THE WATER
HERE TO HELP WHATEVER YOUR WAKA
From boaties to boarders, Coastguard Sumner volunteers respond to anyone in trouble on the water — across Pegasus Bay and to south of Banks Peninsula.
We’re a charity powered by donations. Support us to stay on call, day and night.
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We Make a Difference
Every year Coastguard Sumner assists, rescues and saves whanau, friends and tamariki who get into trouble in Aotearoa waters. Here’s our stats for the last year.
People assisted home to safety
LIVES SAVED
People Rescued from danger
THE COASTGUARD SUMNER STORY
2025 unit of year & rescue of year
Coastguard Sumner was privileged to receive the Unit of the Year and Rescue of the Year Awards at the national Coastguard Volunteer of Excellence Awards 2025. These are the two most prestigious team awards and reflect the outstanding commitment and capability of our volunteers.
About coastguard sumner
At Coastguard Sumner, we’re proud to be a volunteer-powered rescue service that’s always ready — day or night — to help people and vessels in distress across Banks Peninsula and Pegasus Bay.
Volunteer Maritime Search and Rescue
on-call, all volunteers
Our People
Coastguard Sumner runs entirely on volunteer power — locals who give their time, skill, and heart to keep others safe on the water. From students to retirees, our 40-strong operations crew includes everyone from new trainees to veteran skippers. They are backed by a 10 person volunteer Board providing vital governance skills.
Callouts
A callout could be anything from assisting a sinking yacht, to searching for a missing surfer, to evacuating a sick person by sea from a remote coastal location.
Our Vessels
Our fleet of vessels is equipped to handle rescues close to shore in big surf through to night-time missions going miles offshore.
A wide area of operations
Hurunui River to south of Banks Peninsula
Our operations cover a vast coastal area – from Point Gibson just north of the Hurunui River down to just south of the Banks Peninsula. We also go 12 nautical miles (about 22km) out to sea.
Incidents can be anything from a surfer caught in the rip at Scarborough to a kayaker missing off Godley Head to a yacht in trouble out at sea.
We operate day and night. We are equipped and train for incidents at night-time and have infrared cameras and night vision binoculars to aid searching.
Latest News item
Fundraising event – 7th May
Save the date - the next Coastguard Sumner Soiree will be held on Thursday 7th May. This popular fundraising event will feature an art auction and other surprises and we will be entertained by our guest speaker. Our last soiree had around 150 guests and raised over $20,000 for Coastguard Sumner. Enjoy canapes and beverages served throughout the evening. BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE, maybe get a group together too and join the "flotilla". See you there! This year the event is hosted at the Sumner...
100% Volunteer crew
MORE News
March: From Reef Rescues to Community Bowls
It’s been a busy March for the Coastguard Sumner crew, with the team balancing emergency callouts, community events, and vital training. The month kicked off with a significant multi-agency response at Naval Point, Lyttelton. Alongside Coastguard Canterbury, the...
Vickie Hudson-Craig has passed
A highly valued member of our unit, Vickie Hudson-Craig, passed away on 13th March after a long illness. We received this news with great sadness. Vickie joined us as a boat crew trainee about 10 years ago. She left Coastguard when she had her daughter Ruby, and later...
Sinking boat, 5 people stranded
Callout: 12:53pm, Thurs 26th Feb 2026, tasked by Police. Time was of the essence: a 5.4m boat was sinking near the entrance to Lyttelton Harbour with five people on board. Our fast-response vessel, HamiltonJet Rescue, was in the water in just 11 minutes with 3...
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For Boaties
Safety on the Water
Coastguard has a wealth of material to help boaties stay safe on the water, from tips and tools to education courses.
Coastguard Resources
Whether you are skipper or crew, take a look at Coastguard’s safety on the water information – from key essentials for new boaties to tips on maintenance to boating on a budget.
Want to acquire more boating knowledge? Check out Coastguard’s education courses.
Planning a bar crossing?
They can be one of the trickiest and riskiest parts of boating in Aotearoa. Watch the video (click on the ‘Top Tips for Keeping Safe’ image) to learn how to keep safe.