New boat will help ‘mission of saving lives’

Coastguard Queenstown’s next-generation rescue boat has been named after a woman who, legend has it, was the first to swim across Lake Wakatipu.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult officially christened Haki te kura at a special naming ceremony at the Frankton Marina on Friday night.

Queenstown Airport, Coastguard Queenstown’s major sponsor, was tasked with naming the new boat, formerly used as a chase boat in the America’s Cup — its sustainability manager Natalie Reeves came up with the winner.

"As we think about these people taking care of our shores, and of the people in our community, it seemed only appropriate to look at those past members [of our community] to draw strength from as we go forward."

Coastguard New Zealand southern region manager Cheryl Moffat said Haki te kura was one of 26 Rayglass Protectors refitted by Lotto NZ for Coastguards around the country — the refits jointly funded by Coastguard NZ, individual units and various community benefactors.

"Knowing that Coastguard volunteers have the right tools and equipment they need to enhance their ability to deliver on their mission of saving lives is very special," she said.

Airport chief executive Glen Sowry said Coastguard was an organisation close to his heart, having "got lost and sailed around the world three times, back in the day".

"[I] have a very deep respect for the importance of safety and welfare at sea or, in this case, on the lake, and the role of Coastguard, and particularly, the volunteers who give their time every week, every weekend, to be patrolling the lake ... it’s an incredibly important role.

"Sometimes things do go wrong, and to have a vessel like this, which is able to get out on the lake in any conditions and to save lives, I think is an extraordinary asset for this community."

Coastguard Queenstown president Andy McLeod said the arrival of the Haki te kura was a "massive step" for the unit — its former boat was "falling apart".

"The old girl that we’ve had, she’s been great, it’s done it’s job, we’ve BandAid-ed it together for a few years, but she was quite slow, quite old.

"This new vessel is twice as fast, it’s got twice as much room, it’s reliable — which really helps.

"This one, we can confidently get people out and save lives, with speed, that’s the key."

Mr McLeod said the new boat also featured the latest technology, along with flare cameras, loudhailers, flashing lights, radars and stretchers.

"Each person’s got a screen — they’re twice, three times the size that we had — [with] the capability of scrolling through and we can send message to the helm and back to navigation.

"It’s a gigantic leap, we’re loving it."

At present, Coastguard Queenstown had about 20 volunteers, including two skippers, but hoped to add another six skippers by Christmas.

tracey.roxburgh@odt.co.nz