Coastguard Dunedin has formally blessed and relaunched its new rescue vessel, Moana Rescue II, at the unit’s Kitchener Street operations base.
Moana Rescue, the vessel it succeeds, arrived in Dunedin in January 2022 as one of 26 America’s Cup AC36 chase boats refitted for Coastguard service nationwide, backed by a $9.8 million Lotto NZ grant delivered in partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand. At 12.5m, it was the unit’s first ‘brand-new’ vessel, and it proved its worth: amongst it’s many saves, in 2024 its crew guided the damaged French Ultim trimaran Actual Ultim 3 to safety in Otago Harbour during the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest solo round-the-world race. Built originally for high-speed America’s Cup support duty rather than coastal search and rescue, its role has now passed to a vessel purpose-matched to the unit’s day-to-day work.
That vessel has its own working history. Moana Rescue II is a 9.5m Naiad rigid-hull inflatable that served as Waihī Beach Volunteer Coastguard’s primary vessel, Gallagher Rescue, from 2013 until October 2025, when Waihī Beach retired it in favour of a new 10m boat. Although the boat was initially expected to be decommissioned and sold, it was instead transferred south to Dunedin, arriving by road on 14 April 2026. It then underwent a full refit, including new twin Yamaha F250 outboards with a HelmMaster EX control package and updated electronics, before entering water testing.
Coastguard Dunedin says the new vessel’s scale and build are well matched to the everyday search and rescue work the unit carries out along the Otago coast. There is also a neat symmetry to the change: the 8.5m Protector Dunedin bought in 2012 was also a former Waihī Beach Coastguard boat.
Coastguard Dunedin has operated from its Kitchener Street base since 2022, having relocated from Portobello in 2020 to help recruit and retain volunteers. The unit relies entirely on volunteer crews to respond to callouts along Otago’s coastline.
