Volunteer firefighters along the Waikato River are edging toward a coordinated regional water rescue capability, with Cambridge now deciding whether to join forces with brigades to the north — or chart its own course.
The Cambridge Volunteer Fire Brigade is investigating the possibility of deploying rescue watercraft on the Waikato River and Lake Karapiro. Chief fire officer Dennis Hunt said the concept had been on the table for some time, prompted by repeated incidents on the water. As reported in the Waikato Times this week, the brigade is currently deciding between linking up with an emerging multi-brigade network or building an independent response capability from the ground up.
That network has its origins in a frustrating standoff. FENZ moved last year to ground all powered watercraft operated by fire stations during emergencies, a call the organisation justified on the grounds that it lacked sufficient resources and training to manage them safely. The decision drew fierce public pushback from communities that had come to rely on locally-trained crews for river rescues.
gāruawāhia and Huntly volunteers refused to let the matter rest. Working alongside police and their respective local councils, the brigades found a path forward — one that takes FENZ out of the equation entirely, placing operations under police command instead. The Waikato Times described the arrangement as a “red tape workaround.” Ngāruawāhia’s chief fire officer Karl Lapwood wants the boats back on the water before next summer.
The hardware has never gone anywhere. Ngāruawāhia’s two jet skis have been community-funded assets since 2018; Huntly’s rescue boat has been in service since 1998. The crews operating them hold maritime certifications and specialist swiftwater training. Between them, they logged more than 80 rescues in the years before the ban, with some of the most demanding callouts coming during Cyclone Hale.
Cambridge’s deliberations could extend that network south to Karapiro. Whether the region ends up with one joined-up operation or several coordinated ones, the momentum is unmistakable — trained volunteers want to get back on the river, and their communities want them there.
Source: Waikato Times
5 May 2026 Red tape workaround solves fire brigades’ water rescue ban, Paora Manuel, Waikato Times
6 May 2026 Cambridge firefighters investigate rescue response for Waikato River, Paora Manuel, Waikato Times
