A newly formed "swat team" is ready to spring into action the moment a pod of whales strands on the Northland coast.
The launch of Whale Rescue at Opua on Saturday brings together many of the region's top marine mammal experts - and the fundraising muscle needed to pay for rescue equipment.
The group was formed after two mass strandings in the Far North in 2010 - one at Karikari Beach, the other a month later at Spirits Bay.
The Spirits Bay rescue involved shifting 24 surviving pilot whales more than 50km on a fleet of trucks in the most ambitious rescue attempt in New Zealand.
It revealed, however, that Northland was not equipped to deal with strandings on such a scale.
A shortage of lifting mats and frames meant delays in moving whales out of the sun; some mats weren't strong enough and ripped under the whales' weight, putting the rescuers and the rescued whales at risk. In a flash of Kiwi ingenuity, someone managed to rustle up some trampoline mats instead.
The impetus for the new group came from discussions between Tutukaka orca expert Ingrid Visser, Jo "Floppy" Halliday of Opua, Department of Conservation biodiversity manager Patrick Whaley and ranger William Macrae, who died in a helicopter crash at Karikari last year.
Dr Visser said the eight-strong team were highly experienced rescuers, with more than 50 strandings involving 12 species between them. She offered DoC any help the group could offer, "in memory of Will [Macrae]".
One of Whale Rescue's first projects was to design a pilot-whale mat capable of lifting 4000kg. Eight mats, each costing about $1000, were handed over to DoC's Lester Bridson on Saturday. They will be stored in Kaitaia. DoC already has three lifting frames designed by the late Mr Macrae, nicknamed "MacGyver" for his skill as an inventor.
Meanwhile, Whale Rescue is gathering equipment, including two newly donated pontoon systems, which will be based at Opua and Tutukaka.
Ms Halliday said the new group would not replace Project Jonah or Far North Whale Rescue, but would act as a "first response team" able to get to strandings quickly.
Whale Rescue's next project is to raise about $5000 for a disentanglement kit to free whales caught in rope or nets, as happened to humpbacks off Doubtless Bay and the Bay of Islands in 2010.
Whale Rescue's technical adviser Steve Whitehouse - who invented rescue techniques and a Marine Mammal Medic course now used in 13 countries - also flew from Australia for the launch.
When he pioneered whale rescues in the 1970s, the only "rescue kit" in use consisted of a box of bullets and a .303 rifle.
The other members are Reece Hesketh (Opua), Jochen Zaeschmar (Opua), Wendy Turner (Auckland), Kerry O'Brien (Auckland) and Jo Berghan (Taipa).
The group's website, www.whale-rescue.org, will go live shortly.