Fast facts – The Big Swim 2025
Total raised: $644,360 (and still growing) Participants: 2,581 swimmers Total distance swum: 29,511km Top team: Leigh Swims (623.2km, $25,100 raised)
Now in its second year, the Big Swim is fast becoming a fixture on the national calendar. The idea is simple: get active, get swimming, and get fundraising. But the personal stories behind the strokes are anything but ordinary.
Swimming for something bigger
In Northland, the Leigh Swims team caught the spotlight with a Seven Sharp feature. The team racked up a staggering 623.2km and raised $25,100 for the cause. Their motivation? Giving back to the volunteers who risk their lives for others.
Further south, the Sunas team—led by Nicky Harris—swam 132.3km and raised $15,349 in memory of her late husband. Harris’s effort stood out not just for its distance, but for its heart.
Louise Orton also brought a deeply personal commitment to the challenge. After losing her partner in a snorkelling accident, she swam 20.8km and raised $6,855. For her, swimming became a way to process grief, raise awareness, and support those who save lives on the water every day.
Olympic swimmer Kirsten Fisher-Marsters, representing the Cook Islands and serving as a Big Swim ambassador, returned to the pool for the first time since her 2023 retirement. She clocked up 60km and reminded everyone of the stakes.
“This challenge was about giving back, supporting a good cause, and helping others feel safe and confident in the water,” she said.
“Swimming has shaped my life, but I’ve always respected the sea. Things can change fast out there. That’s why Coastguard matters.”
Every kilometre counts
The total impact of the Coastguard Big Swim fundraiser goes well beyond numbers. Each kilometre swum supports volunteer training, funds rescue vessel maintenance, and underpins Coastguard’s water safety education efforts nationwide.
Carl McOnie, Coastguard New Zealand CEO, says the campaign reflects the nation’s deep relationship with the water—and with those who protect lives at sea.
“We’re blown away by the generosity and determination of every swimmer, sponsor and supporter,” he said.
“The stories we’ve heard this year have been moving and powerful.”
Coastguard operates as New Zealand’s primary marine search and rescue service, powered by more than 2,000 trained volunteers. The organisation responds to over 4,000 incidents every year and supports a wide range of boaties, paddlers, and recreational water users.
What the funds support
Volunteer training and support
Search and rescue vessel maintenance
Marine safety education
Community outreach and awareness programmes
Nationwide coordination of life-saving services
A lifesaving community effort
The Coastguard Big Swim fundraiser is more than a challenge—it’s a community-driven movement. It unites people across age, region and ability in support of a single purpose: keeping our waters safer for everyone.
As the 2025 campaign wraps up, planning has already begun for 2026. With more awareness, more involvement, and more shared stories, the next Big Swim promises to make even bigger waves.
To learn more or join next year’s event, visit www.coastguard.nz.
This past June, thousands of New Zealanders dived in to support the Coastguard Big Swim fundraiser, swimming more than 29,511 kilometres and raising a remarkable $644,360—and counting. From local pools to chilly rivers and coastal swims, 2,581 participants took part in the nationwide challenge, backing the volunteer-led organisation that responds when lives are on the line out at sea.
Fast facts – The Big Swim 2025
Total raised: $644,360 (and still growing) Participants: 2,581 swimmers Total distance swum: 29,511km Top team: Leigh Swims (623.2km, $25,100 raised)
Now in its second year, the Big Swim is fast becoming a fixture on the national calendar. The idea is simple: get active, get swimming, and get fundraising. But the personal stories behind the strokes are anything but ordinary.
Swimming for something bigger
In Northland, the Leigh Swims team caught the spotlight with a Seven Sharp feature. The team racked up a staggering 623.2km and raised $25,100 for the cause. Their motivation? Giving back to the volunteers who risk their lives for others.
Further south, the Sunas team—led by Nicky Harris—swam 132.3km and raised $15,349 in memory of her late husband. Harris’s effort stood out not just for its distance, but for its heart.
Louise Orton also brought a deeply personal commitment to the challenge. After losing her partner in a snorkelling accident, she swam 20.8km and raised $6,855. For her, swimming became a way to process grief, raise awareness, and support those who save lives on the water every day.
Olympic swimmer Kirsten Fisher-Marsters, representing the Cook Islands and serving as a Big Swim ambassador, returned to the pool for the first time since her 2023 retirement. She clocked up 60km and reminded everyone of the stakes.
“This challenge was about giving back, supporting a good cause, and helping others feel safe and confident in the water,” she said.
“Swimming has shaped my life, but I’ve always respected the sea. Things can change fast out there. That’s why Coastguard matters.”
Every kilometre counts
The total impact of the Coastguard Big Swim fundraiser goes well beyond numbers. Each kilometre swum supports volunteer training, funds rescue vessel maintenance, and underpins Coastguard’s water safety education efforts nationwide.
Carl McOnie, Coastguard New Zealand CEO, says the campaign reflects the nation’s deep relationship with the water—and with those who protect lives at sea.
“We’re blown away by the generosity and determination of every swimmer, sponsor and supporter,” he said.
“The stories we’ve heard this year have been moving and powerful.”
Coastguard operates as New Zealand’s primary marine search and rescue service, powered by more than 2,000 trained volunteers. The organisation responds to over 4,000 incidents every year and supports a wide range of boaties, paddlers, and recreational water users.
What the funds support
Volunteer training and support
Search and rescue vessel maintenance
Marine safety education
Community outreach and awareness programmes
Nationwide coordination of life-saving services
A lifesaving community effort
The Coastguard Big Swim fundraiser is more than a challenge—it’s a community-driven movement. It unites people across age, region and ability in support of a single purpose: keeping our waters safer for everyone.
As the 2025 campaign wraps up, planning has already begun for 2026. With more awareness, more involvement, and more shared stories, the next Big Swim promises to make even bigger waves.
To learn more or join next year’s event, visit www.coastguard.nz.
