Top club status for Taupō Coastguard

Hutchwilco's Tim Ritchie presents awards to Taupo Coastguard members Mark Hughes, Mike Fletcher and Jeff Benson. Coastguard CEO Callum Gillespie on far right. Photo / Supplied

The efforts of Lake Taupō Coastguard have been celebrated at the New Zealand Coastguard's Awards of Excellence in Christchurch.

The crew came out on top for the hotly contested Unit of the Year award.

Its work was recognised in other areas, too, with a top three nomination for the Community Engagement award, and a nomination for Support Volunteer of the Year for skipper Mike Fletcher.

As a vital service on Lake Taupō, it can be easy to forget that the three shifts of wet crew and the behind-the-scenes team are made up entirely of volunteers.

Their time is split between being on duty, day jobs, and the 170 hours of training a month needed to maintain their skills. This translates to over 2,530 hours on the water in the last financial year, as well as classroom time.

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A series of leadership and other changes at the base "shook the unit up a wee bit", says Mark, but he and Mike were on hand to guide the team into award-winning waters.

By concentrating on "the culture, the fun and the cohesiveness", as Mike puts it, they put their energy into "training people to be better than us" so they know the unit is always in good hands.

Recent cohorts of new recruits have injected young blood into the Coastguard's team, "and they're great people", Mike stresses, with a lot to bring to the table - but there is always room for more.

"If you're prepared to give a little bit of quality time, we can put you on that boat with us," he says.

It takes more than wet crew to run the Unit of the Year, however.

Mark and Mike were on hand to discuss their big win, but were keen to stress that it was down to a whole team effort.

"We're just so mindful of the fact that it's everybody. Excellent partners and families behind us."

They are keen to hear from anyone who has time or expertise to offer, no matter whether they prefer being on the water or behind a desk.