I note with some humour that Mr Allan describes our government funding as being a "truckload of national funding" and can only gather from this that Mr Allan has little understanding of the funding of rescue amenities such as ours; in reality somewhere between 13-16 per cent of CNR funding comes to us from "national funding" sources. Donations are a small part of the income we receive, and we do our best to make a little go a long way.
It is disappointing to again have to remind Far North Radio and Sea Rescue that the very organisation they seek to denigrate was in fact responsible for accessing the funding which was used to purchase their rescue vessel Lilly Walker.
It is a further disappointment to have to remind Mr Allan that the former Far North Coastguard was de-registered as a charity by the regulatory authorities, and terminated as a Coastguard entity due to operational, financial and safety concerns.
In response to Mr Allan's claims regarding the Coastguard member who sought assistance off Knuckle Point in October 2014, we can find no such record of any call for assistance, and would welcome further clarity around the exact time and date. As a professional service we record all communications coming into our operations centre, and can find no record of a call made in October 2014 seeking assistance at Knuckle Point.
If Mr Allan were in fact a Coastguard member, he would realise that marine assistance to all our members is provided free of charge within our area of operation. Unlike his own service, which in fact claims to have charged this person $300, there would have been no charge to a member of CNR. In fact I encourage this member to identify themselves to our organisation, and we will find a way of reimbursing his costs by way of a membership extension.
As the CEO of one of the country's largest rescue entities, I am immensely proud of the team of volunteers and employees who are the backbone of our organisation. Contrary to the views of Mr Allan, I spend a large amount of my time jumping through hoops to ensure our cheque book is balanced. Financial prudence is a keystone of running a successful charity, and ensures that we can continue to provide an effective rescue service across small and large communities keeping New Zealanders safe on the water.
The only accurate statement that I can find in Mr Allan's statement is that "Coastguard still performs a well-needed service to the country".
We do indeed, and if "unqualified praise" is in fact bestowed upon our 1150 volunteers who make themselves available every moment of every second, of every day, to keep us safe, I would say they deserve it, wouldn't you?
DAVID TOMMAS
Chief Executive Officer
Coastguard Northern Region
