About Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand

Every year, Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) responds to approximately 1,200 search and rescue incidents over an area of 30 million square kilometres.

What does RCCNZ do?

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is responsible for coordinating:

• all major maritime and aviation search and rescue missions within New Zealand’s search and rescue region
• land-based missions arising from someone activating a distress beacon.

These incidents are termed ‘Category II’ incidents. RCCNZ also assists with other rescues when required, and provide search and rescue (SAR) services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

RCCNZ also provides secondary support services, including:

• medical advice and assistance to mariners
• maritime assistance service
• Ship Security Alert System
• marine accident reporting
• aviation accident reporting
• oil spill reporting
• bomb and security alerts on aircraft
• search area determination on request from Police and Coastguard
• tsunami alerts.

Watch our introduction clip:

Our search and rescue region

Spanning 30 million square kilometres, RCCNZ covers one of the largest search and rescue areas in the world.

This area extends from the mid-Tasman Sea, halfway to Chile, and from the South Pole, almost up to the Equator.

Download our informative brochure: