The most dramatic were the rescue of 28 people in two events. Ten Korean fishermen were plucked from a rock at Port Waikato last month and 18 schoolchildren were caught in a rip at Dunedin in February.
The busiest beach was Muriwai, also the site of a fatal shark attack, but Volunteer Lifeguard Service chairman Tim Jago said he was not surprised by its 105 rescues for the year.
There were 12 drownings at beaches, double the number from the previous year, Water Safety New Zealand said.
Surf Life Saving spokeswoman Lisa Honeybone said it was believed only one person drowned at a beach during lifeguard hours. A 43-year-old man could not be revived after being pulled from the surf about 600m from the flagged area of Whiritoa Beach on the Coromandel on Christmas Eve.
Volunteer lifesavers spent more than 200,000 hours patrolling about 80 beaches, undertook more than 1980 first aid treatments, conducted 580 searches and took more than 120,000 preventative actions.
Surf Life Saving northern region chief executive Pam Elgar said many people rescued from the surf had ignored safety messages.
Top 10 nationwide rescue statistics
1. Muriwai - 105
2. Raglan - 92
3. Whangamata - 61
4. Taylors Mistake (Christchurch) - 58
5. Piha - 57
6. Mount Maunganui - 55
7. Omanu - 52
8. Karioatahi - 46
9. Papamoa - 46
10. Opunake - 46
