125 years at Sumner

Celebrating the service of the Sumner Lifeboat Institution / Coastguard Sumner

On 25 August 1898, the first officially commissioned lifeboat was launched at Sumner. For over 125 years, the longest-serving maritime rescue presence in New Zealand has been based there, near the entrance to the Avon Heathcote Estuary in Christchurch.

Rescue was a four person, 25-foot vessel, the first in a series of oar-powered lifeboats. It wasn’t until 28 June 1930 that Sumner’s first motorised lifeboat was launched. A lifeboat shed was established at the Scarborough end of Sumner in the 1930s, which remains the location of their base to this day.

They continuously upgraded their fleet, which included pur-pose-built lifeboats bought from Britain’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

In the 1970s the recently developed jet boat technology was adopted, as it was particularly suitable for operations around rocky shorelines and in surf conditions.

Sumner Lifeboat Institution was a founding member of Coastguard New Zealand in 1977.

In 1980, Lesley Hayes was the first female crew member. “As a woman pioneering new ground, you need to be at least twice as good as the men doing the same thing… and she was,” says Heather McDonald, Coastguard Sumner skipper and volunteer since 1991.

In 2010, Blue Arrow Rescue was officially launched. She is a 12.5-metre all-weather rescue vessel, equipped with twin jet units. Designed from scratch, she is equipped with state-of-the-art systems, including radar, sonar and infrared camera rescue sensors.

They adopted Coastguard Sumner as a trading name in 2023 but have proudly retained Summer Lifeboat Institution as the registered name of their charitable organisation.

Today their entire fleet is propelled by water-jet systems and includes purpose-built rigid hull inflatable jet boats and jet skis.
"As the oldest marine-rescue organisation in New Zealand, our unit has seen incredible change over the last 125 years," says Blair Quane, President of Coastguard Sumner. "Our volunteers today have dedicated themselves to continuing our proud history of innovation and commitment to saving lives at sea."

NZSAR congratulates Coastguard Sumner on their milestone, and thanks them for over 125 years of service to search and rescue. More detailed historical timelines and videos can be viewed at www.sumner-lifeboat.org.nz

This story was originally published in the December 2023 issue of Link magazine. 

Feature image. 'RESCUE' the first official lifeboat. Supplied