How Annette Hall accidentally spent 20 years as ‘mum’ to Far North boaties

Annette Hall has been the voice of Far North Radio and Sea Rescue for the past 20 years. Photo / RNZ / Peter de Graaf

By Peter de Graaf of RNZ

For the past 20 years, Annette Hall has been like a mother to the boaties of the Far North.

She’s kept tabs on where they are with twice-daily calls, checked to make sure they return to port when expected, provided weather forecasts, and – when things go badly awry – co-ordinated rescues at any time of day or night.

She’s done all that, unpaid, from her living room in a modest cottage overlooking Doubtless Bay.

At 6pm on Wednesday, however, the radio operator with the infectious laugh signed off for the last time.

That also meant the end of a service that’s been running since at least 1947.

Surprisingly, Hall had no maritime background – beyond a love of fishing – when she first got involved with Far North Radio and Sea Rescue in the early 2000s.

She was previously a publican, who pulled pints at well-known hotels in Ōpua, Kaitāia and Mangōnui.

Hall said she got involved by accident because she used to live next door to Far North Radio stalwarts Malcolm and Maureen MacMillan, better known as Mac and Mo.

“One afternoon, Maureen said to me, ‘You’re very good at talking a lot. Let me show you the radio’. And I said, ‘Okay, how hard could it be?’”

Initially, Hall did a few evening shifts so her neighbours could have some time off.

When Maureen MacMillan sadly died of motor neurone disease, Hall agreed to step in while her husband “sorted things out”.

“I came home from work, and there was all their radio equipment on my dining table. So I said, ‘Okay, let’s just do it for a few months, and we’ll take it from there’.”

That was 20 years ago.

“It’s longer than four months. Way longer. But it’s been fun, you know? It’s a community thing, and very family-oriented.”

Far North Radio and Sea Rescue operated a VHF marine radio service from Whangaroa Harbour on the east coast up to the Three Kings Islands, and down the west coast to the Hokianga Harbour.

It also had a single-sideband (SSB) radio service with an almost unlimited range, and – until a few weeks ago – a rescue boat named Lily Walker.

A previous boat, Good as Gold, got its name from Maureen MacMillan’s favourite expression.

The service catered to commercial and recreational fishers, “blue water” sailors travelling between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and many a fishing contest.

As the senior operator, Hall was responsible for the morning and evening calls, with other volunteers covering the day shifts so she could go to work at the local vets.

Far North Radio stalwart Annette Hall operated from her home overlooking Cable Bay. Photo / RNZ / Peter de Graaf

She also monitored the airwaves during weekends and public holidays, and even had a radio next to her bed so she could be roused for emergencies at any time of night.

Doubtless Bay-based commercial fisherman Nat Davey said Hall’s contribution had been “amazing”.

“Over the last good 20 years, Annette’s been like a mum to the fishermen out there,” he said.

“She’s kept a great eye on us, and if for some reason we haven’t called up in the evenings and she knows we’re out there, she’ll always check in to make sure we’re all fine. It’s pretty selfless, really. She just gets in there and does it.”

Ethan Bryant, skipper of fishing charter boat Te Ariki Nui, spoke to RNZ by satellite from the Three Kings Islands, about 30 nautical miles north of Cape Rēinga.

“We look at her as our guardian angel,” he said.

“She’s one of the only people that looks out for us out here. Between 7.30 and 8 o’clock every single morning without fail you hear that sweet voice come on the radio, no matter how rough or rainy or sunny or whatever it is, you always feel comfortable. That little 30-second chat every morning and every afternoon, it means a lot.”

Bryant said Hall would be greatly missed – especially by boaties who travelled far offshore, beyond the reach of Coastguard.

“She knows exactly where everybody is. If she doesn’t hear from you or you forget to do your afternoon call, she’ll make sure she gets hold of you before the end of the day. If she can’t, then she knows something’s up,” he said.

“I know she looks at us as her boys that she looks after. It’s definitely a big help knowing that somebody’s looking over you and knows exactly where your nearest help is.”

Hall said the toughest part of her role was when tragedy struck.

The most serious events included the Enchanter sinking of 2022, when five people died, and the Karikari Peninsula fire of 2011, when a helicopter on a rescue mission crashed into the sea.

The capsized hull of the Enchanter.

If she was woken for an emergency at night, she had a simple technique for “getting into the zone”.

“When something happens, you get up, and put the jug on first,” she said.

“One of the really big ones I had was the Karikari fire, when we lost two people in the helicopter. That was a real tragedy.”

Hall, who turns 75 later this month, said she had a number of reasons for hanging up her handpiece.

“It’s just natural attrition, really. You know, we’ve all got older, and you need to go on and do other things. My daughter’s just moved up here from the South Island, I’d like to spend some time with her. And also, I’m actually quite old, believe it or not.”

Hall said she also had “a lot of cricket to catch up on” and was hoping to finally get a chance to do some fishing.

Coastguard New Zealand told RNZ it was currently in discussion with Far North Radio and Sea Rescue about the future of VHF radio coverage in the area.

No decision had been made as yet, but Coastguard wanted to ensure Far North boaties had continued access to safe and reliable radio coverage.

Boaties could also use VHF channel 16 for trip reports and requests for help, which would be passed on to Coastguard if needed.

In 2025, Hall was named a Local Hero medallist in the New Zealander of the Year Awards, and was presented with a Te Tohu Tutuki/Lifetime Achievement Award by the Far North District Council.

Independent, volunteer-run Far North Radio and Sea Rescue received no direct government funding. Member subscriptions, sponsorship and fundraising were its main sources of income.