The Hamilton family from iconic New Zealand company HamiltonJet have made a significant private donation towards
fundraising for the Nelson Coastguard’s new vessel. The Hamiltons’ donation, coming soon after Sealord’s announcement
last month that it would contribute $215,000 as naming rights sponsor for the vessel, has taken the Nelson Coastguard to
85 percent of its total fundraising target.
“We are so grateful for Christina and Mike Hamilton’s support,” says Nelson Coastguard President Pete Kara. “The fact
that they have chosen to make a personal donation is so meaningful for us, especially given their family history and
their connection to boating technology. It is really very special.”
Some causes are more personal than most and Christina Hamilton says that the efforts of the Nelson Coastguard to raise
funds for a much-needed new boat caught her and her husband Mike’s attention and touched Christina’s heart.
“A love of boating runs deep for us,” says Christina. “I spent my summers growing up in the Marlborough Sounds and
boating was intrinsic to my formative family memories. I lost my father and my younger brother in a tragic boating
accident so I also know the impact that losing loved ones on the water can have. This is deeply personal for me.”
Mike is a third generation descendant of the founders of HamiltonJet and is still actively involved in the business, and
Christina says that the family have many friends who enjoy boating. Christina says that making a contribution to an
organisation like Nelson Coastguard is a way of saying they value the safety of everyone who enjoys the sea, and not
just those on boats but also everyone using kayaks, inflatables and undertaking all kinds of activities on the water.
“I would encourage anyone who goes boating, kayaking, or works in the fishing industry, or knows someone who does, to
make a contribution to the fundraising for Nelson Coastguard’s new vessel. We take it for granted that help will be
there when we need it but I was astounded by the level of commitment that Nelson Coastguard’s dedicated volunteer team
make to save lives at sea. They so deserve our support.”
In addition to the Hamiltons’ private donation to the fundraising, HamiltonJet is providing its latest model HTX30 Jets
with AVX technology for the vessel at the original 2017 price.
Mike Hamilton says these will be the first of HamiltonJet’s new HTX30 jets to be sold in New Zealand. They will feature
HamiltonJet’s new Advanced Vessel Control System (AVX) with the Mouseboat controller option, allowing sideways movement
of the vessel during docking and precise control when manoeuvring in close proximity to other vessels.
“We are really pleased that the HamiltonJet HTX30 will be in the vessel,” says Pete Kara. “We thoroughly researched the
specifications of the vessel and it was a significant shift for us to change from outboard motor technology. We think
the HTX30 will provide us with increased performance and reliability which is important given the increased journey
range that our new vessel will offer. We have a huge geographical area to cover and we need to be able to respond to
callouts with confidence in our vessel.”
To contribute to fundraising for Coastguard Nelson’s new vessel go to https://coastguardnelson.org.nz/donate/