The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is New Zealand’s national search and rescue organisation.
The RCCNZ was established in July 2004. Initially under the Civil Aviation Authority, the RCCNZ came under Maritime New Zealand’s responsibility in December 2004.
RCCNZ's search and rescue role
Other functions that RCCNZ provides
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is responsible for coordinating:
These incidents are termed ‘Category II’ incidents. RCCNZ also assists with other rescues when required.
The RCCNZ provides search and rescue (SAR) services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The SAR officers working for RCCNZ are trained to international aviation and maritime SAR standards and have a wide range of experience in aviation, marine and land search and rescue.
Covering one of the largest search and rescue areas in the world, the RCCNZ responds to approximately 1,200 search and rescue incidents annually.
Located alongside RCCNZ at Avalon is the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC). The MOC is the radio service that provides VHF and HF radio services for New Zealand’s coastal waters and the South Pacific, including around-the-clock monitoring of radio frequencies for distress messages.
Other secondary roles that RCCNZ provides include:
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand leaflet [PDF: 493Kb, 10 pages]
Search and rescue in New Zealand
