Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) new
What does RCCNZ do?
RCCNZ is responsible for coordinating:
- search and rescue operations requiring coordination at the national level
- maritime and aviation search and rescue missions within New Zealand’s search and rescue region
- land‑based search and rescue missions initiated by satellite distress‑notification devices
- search and rescue support and advice to emergency‑response partners, for example New Zealand Police, ambulance services, and Civil Defence.
RCCNZ provides these services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
RCCNZ is part of Maritime NZ’s wider maritime incident‑response function.
Our search and rescue region
Maritime NZ’s RCCNZ covers one of the largest search and rescue regions in the world, about 30 million square kilometres.
This area extends:
- from the mid‑Tasman Sea to halfway to Chile
from the South Pole almost up to the Equator.
Every year, RCCNZ responds to about 1,500 search and rescue incidents.
Map showing the New Zealand search and rescue region
Other services
RCCNZ also provides secondary support services, including:
- support to New Zealand Police with Category 1 search and rescue
- medical advice and assistance to mariners
- maritime assistance service
- Ship Security Alert System monitoring
- marine accident reporting
- aviation accident reporting
- oil‑spill reporting
- bomb and security alerts on aircraft
- search and rescue planning support for partner agencies
- issue of maritime navigation warnings, including tsunami alerts.
Our search and rescue partners
RCCNZ works with many agencies, including:
- New Zealand Police
- Hato Hone St John
- Royal New Zealand Coastguard
- New Zealand Defence Force
- New Zealand Land Search and Rescue
- Civil Aviation Authority.
For additional search and rescue information, see:
Contact us
24‑hour emergency contact
New Zealand, toll‑free: 0508 4 RCCNZ, (0508 472 269)
Calling from outside New Zealand: +64 4 577 8030
Email: [email protected]
Distress‑beacon registration enquiries
New Zealand, toll‑free: 0800 406 111
Calling from outside New Zealand: +64 4 577 8042
Email: [email protected]
Postal address
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand
PO Box 30050
Lower Hutt 5040
New Zealand