Coastguard Nelson scoops a top award

0
1590

Coastguard Nelson has been recognised for its hard work over the past year, picking up an award for ‘unit of the year’ for the central region of New Zealand at the charity’s annual awards.

The central region encompasses nine units stretching from the top of the South Island to Wanganui, and there are four regions in total through the country.

President of Coastguard Nelson, Graeme Richards, says they are thrilled to receive the award, which is the first time they’ve won it in his four years of being president. “Next year we’ll be going for the national award,” he says.

The award was based on things such as management, how finances are handled and presentation of the unit. “There is a lot of emphasis on how you’re doing training wise too,” says Graeme. “But the bottom line is, it’s about saving lives at sea.”

Regional Instructor Robyn Holmes says that volunteers go through rounds of training before they can be out in the water. “It’s quite a big commitment,” she says. Coastguard Nelson currently have a team of 21 volunteers but would love to have more people come on board.

They are about to start a new round of training, and are looking for some new members. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can call Coastguard Nelson on (03) 548 8300.