Coastguard Offers Marine VHF Radio And Day Skipper Courses In Mandarin

Mandarin speakers can now access Coastguard Northern Region's valuable Marine VHF Radio and Day Skippers courses which will run in partnership with WaterSafe Auckland and ACC.

The courses, which start from November 5, help to address wider issues such as marine radio usage, maritime rules and regulations, emergency procedures, navigation techniques and will also cover the legal responsibilities of the skipper.

Darren Arthur, Education Manager for Coastguard's Northern Region, says the new initiative provides the charity with a great opportunity to target a new demographic and communicate Coastguard's safety messages as the charity saving lives at sea.

"Safety is paramount when it comes to enjoying your time on the water. The VHF Marine Radio and Day Skipper courses can now help to enhance the boating and safety knowledge of boaties from the asian community in time for the start of the summer boating season."

According to Coastguard, boating incidents among the Chinese and Asian communities are under-reported due to the language barrier and a lack of knowledge about our rescue services and how to report an emergency.

"In an effort to ensure that the courses are as comprehensible as possible, our boating education manuals will be translated and a tutor will conduct the lessons in Mandarin. The Marine VHF Radio course will encourage participants to make all distress calls in English."

"We are hopeful that offering these courses in Mandarin will help bridge the language barrier and let participants feel confident enough to call Coastguard if trouble strikes," says Mr Arthur.

Research collated by WaterSafe Auckland over the 2010-2011 summer period regarding water activity in the Asian community showed that 69 percent of those who immigrated to New Zealand have increased their aquatic recreation in New Zealand compared to when living in their homeland.

"It's great to see that those new to our country are enjoying our harbours, lakes and waterways and we hope that this while this trend continues to grow, so too does an understanding within the Asian community around boating safety and its importance, " says Mr Arthur.

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About Coastguard Northern Region:

Coastguard is the charity that provides New Zealand's primary maritime search and rescue service. The organisation operates from a network of four regions and 71 affiliated units, located around the coastline and major lakes of New Zealand. Coastguard Northern Region operates the area from Thames across to the Mokau River and everything north and is based at the Auckland Marine Rescue Centre (AMRC) in Mechanics Bay. Each year the operations room at the AMRC receives over 100,000 VHF marine radio calls.

Coastguard Northern Region however, does more than daring rescues at sea. Generations of dedicated people have established an organisation that provides a wealth of services to every person using our harbours and beaches.

* We provide a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year service.

* Install and maintain VHF radio repeaters throughout the Northern Region to enable mariners to communicate with each other over long distances.

* Install and maintain buoys and beacons to make recreational boating safer.

* Provide a 24 hour continuous weather forecast on marine radio VHF channels 20, 21, 22 and 23.

* Accept trip reports from any vessel able to make radio contact.

* Provide a range of boating education courses to ensure that boaties have a sound knowledge of their boats and the rules of the road at sea.

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