Kawau Volunteer Coastguard Fundraiser

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard’s campaign to replace its 15-year-old boat moves up a gear next month, when it hosts a fun golf event to push its fundraising closer to the target needed for a new vessel.

The current boat, the 10.3 metre Naiad “Kawau Rescue”, has carried out thousands of rescues over the past 15 years, sustaining “a fair bit of wear and tear”, with parts of the hull wearing thin, says president Paul Steinkamp.

Replacing it with a similar vessel – “not a super-duper, flash boat” – will cost between $1 and $1.5 million.

“We’ve always been squirreling money away, and have a war chest of around $300,000,” Paul says. “We need to step it up now and do some serious fundraising over the next couple of years.”

The organization hopes to have the money to order a replacement boat in place by the beginning of 2026.

The fundraiser at Omaha Beach Golf Club on Friday, April 12 features a four-player team Ambrose format 9-hole competition, followed by a buffet dinner, fundraising auction and raffles.

“We want people to come along with friends for a social afternoon and play a bit of golf, not super-competitive, and then enjoy a good dinner in the evening. Come along and contribute to the fun.”

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard is promoting the event as “a great opportunity for networking with key clients and contacts or to spoil someone with a leisurely afternoon on the course at Omaha Beach”.

It has acquired a selection of donated prizes, and encourages local companies to offer additional ones.

It also aims to include a few “prizes that money can’t buy” – for example, a trip out on “Kawau Rescue” for a family of four.

Ideally, it would like to see a successful golf fundraiser become an annual event, marked down on people’s calendars, Paul says.

Kawau Volunteer Coastguard, a registered charity, operates out of Sandspit and covers the area from Bream Tail north of Mangawhai to the south of the Mahurangi River, responding to callouts as far as beyond Aotea Great Barrier and the Mokohinau islands.

Only around 80 tickets for the April 12 event are still available. Contact: Paul on 027 233 2655 or kawauvolunteers@gmail.com