Associate Transport Minister James Meager announced the funding boost in Dunedin this morning. Photo: RNZ / Katie Todd
A dozen search and rescue organisations will share in more than $76 million in government funding to equip volunteers, train specialist staff and maintain infrastructure.
The money would be split among 12 organisations - including $30m for personal protective equipment for Land Search and Rescue volunteers, $17m for Maritime New Zealand and $11m for Coastguard New Zealand.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand would receive $8m, while $3m was set aside for Amateur Radio Emergency Communications.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager said New Zealand was one of the most challenging places for search and rescue operations in the world.
"Whether it's the 50m square kilometres of maritime space that we are responsible for searching and rescuing people from - which is about a 12th of the world's surface - or whether it's our alpine areas, our caves, our dense bush, our urban search and rescue areas or our waterways - they're all vitally important places for New Zealanders to access, and it's important that we service those adequately," he said.
"It's my hope that announcements like these will help everyone keep safe when they're outdoors."
The funding over three years would also support the Land Safety Forum, Marlborough-Nelson Marine Radio Association, Police, Department of Conservation, Search and Rescue Council, Mountain Safety Council and Youth Search and Rescue.
The government also allocated $624,000 over the same period to maintaining navigation tools at airports without air traffic control towers.
Meager said 152 lives were saved, 794 people were rescued and 921 people received help as a result of the work of the search and rescue crews last year.
More than 80 percent of the 11,000 people involved in the industry were volunteers, he said.
Dunedin Land Search and Rescue chair Ben Mulvey said the extra funding would be used to buy standardised, specialised equipment for volunteers, rather than using their own belongings.
"Previously, equipment has been funded individually and as a volunteer, there's other demands in your life between time and money, that allow the ability to volunteer. So having this equipment funded is one less barrier to entry for our volunteers. " he said.
Coastguard Dunedin president Blair Olsen said his organisation would be able to buy PPE, emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRBs) and immersion suits for volunteers.
"Anything that helps a volunteer go out onto the water and fulfil their duties, keep them safe and bring people back to shore safely as well," he said.
Land Search and Rescue spokesman Johnny Franklin said the funding was a vote of confidence in the organisation.
"The funding allows our volunteer workforce to remain sustainable into the future, which I think is the biggest thing. We're seeing changes in the volunteering landscape which makes it more difficult to volunteer, and being able to support our volunteers like this allows us to remain a search and rescue service not only today, but tomorrow and into the next 10 years, 15 years," he said.
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