SAR chairman John Taylor said the 121-strong team of volunteers was split into four groups, comprising rescue disciplines of cliff alpine, bush alpine, marine, and swift water.
Notable SAR operations in 2007-08 were the rescue of American exchange students Jesse Kappmeyer and Michael Gavillot from the Quarter Deck on Mount Aspiring on May 27, last year.
The pair's friend and climbing companion, Austin Hanchey (20), an exchange student from Tennessee, in the United States, died in a fall of 350m to 400m, in the same incident.
Human remains, believed to be those of Dr Derek Hawkins, were located and recovered almost a year after he went missing in March 2007, Mr Taylor said.
The rescue of Wanaka radio host Ed Taylor, who slipped and broke his leg while tramping near Makarora, highlighted the advantages of carrying emergency beacons.
Wanaka DOC ranger and former SAR volunteer Stu Thorne received a special award for more than 30 years service to the SAR team, Mr Taylor said.
