The New Zealand Search and Rescue Council

The New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) Council was established by the Goverbment in 2003. Its functions include:

providing strategic co-ordination for all search and rescue agencies in New Zealand
providing strategic policy advice to the New Zealand Government
being responsible for developing and maintaining a New Zealand search and rescue plan
being responsible for establishing a New Zealand search and rescue vision, mission and goals.

The NZSAR Council is supported by a Secretariat and informed by the NZSAR Consultative Committee. The Secretariat provides policy and strategic advice to the Council, while the Consultative Committee is a forum of representatives from the many organisations in the broader NZSAR sector.

The NZSAR Council comprises chief executives (or their designated representative) of five public organisations with strong links to the search and rescue sector. These organisations are Civil Aviation Authority, Maritime New Zealand, New Zealand Police, Ministry of Transport and the New Zealand Defence Force.

Whether it's improvements in technology, training, mobilisation, resourcing, management or structure, the search and rescue sector is one of the most dynamic and evolving service sectors in New Zealand.

The search and rescue sector is constantly developing and changing to meet the needs of those who call on our services.

New Zealand Search and Rescue Secretariat

The NZSAR Secretariat consists of a full-time secretariat manager and a senior advisor based in Wellington.

The Secretariat assists and supports the NZSAR Council in the development and implementation of national search and rescue strategies.

In addition the Secretariat:

provides strategic and policy advice to the NZSAR Council
facilitates the planning and orchestration of a range of multi-agency search and rescue governance activities
develops and manages functional relationships with the NZSAR Council and stakeholders.

The NZSAR Consultative Committee

The NZSAR Consultative Committee was established in November 2003. The committee consists of representatives of a number of key agencies operating in the search and rescue sector.

The committee serves as a link between the Secretariat and search and rescue providers, and involves all search and rescue stakeholders, including voluntary groups.

The committee provides a channel through which issues generated at an operational level are fed into the governance process.

The committee consists of representatives from the following organisations:

New Zealand Search and Rescue Secretariat
Maritime New Zealand
Civil Aviation Authority
New Zealand Police
New Zealand Defence Force
Ministry of Transport
Land Search and Rescue New Zealand
Coastguard New Zealand
Aviation Industry Association
Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand
Department of Conservation
Ambulance New Zealand
The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council
The New Zealand Fire Service
Maritime Operations Centre (Kordia)
Surf Life Saving New Zealand
Federation of Commercial Fishermen
Antarctica New Zealand

Contact:

NZSAR Secretariat Manager
c/o Ministry of Transport
PO Box 3175
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 439 9045
Email: secretariatmanager@nzsar.org.nz

For more information about the organisations that comprise New Zealand’s search and rescue sector, visit www.nzsar.org.nz