Since its inception in the early 1950's, the coastguard Communications section has steadily evolved to the modern and extensive operation it is today. Coastguard Radio is now monitored 24/7 with some 50 radio operators, mostly volunteer, available to keep a watch on the boating public.

The Operations Room 7 Coastguard Radio consoles 

As some Coastguard units monitor their own local channels, the Operations Room is tasked with picking up the balance of the other 9 channels. These channels cover all of the West coast harbours from Kawhia to the Kaipara, and from the Bay of Islands South to the Coromandel, with the exception of the Whangarei Harbour (see Whangarei Coastguard).

In addition to the all important Search and Rescue operations carried out by Coastguard, our services to the public includes the taking of trip reports, responding to routine breakdowns, and the broadcasting of weather forecasts, live at scheduled times, as well as recordings on the 24/7 Nowcasting service on channels 20-23 (depending on your area). In the last 12 months, the Communications section logged over 100,000 trip reports and managed over 2,000 incidents. On its busiest day, the Operations Room has handled on average a call every 23 seconds.