A new partnership with Keith Andrews Trucks and Fuso will see rescue boats of Coastguard NZ transported by a Fuso Canter 4WD 716.

A Lotto-funded donation saw Coastguard NZ gifted 22 high-performance America’s Cup chase boats, enabling its volunteer rescue crews to  head out with greater confidence to save lives in the toughest conditions.

Five vessels are being readied for action on some of New Zealand’s remote lakes. To get them there, and to hard-to-reach launch sites around the lakes’ edges, new fit-for-purpose tow vehicles were required.

“The picture I had in my head was Coastguard Wanaka or Coastguard Lake Brunner getting a callout in the dark of night, in winter, to deploy for a search and rescue event,” said Coastguard NZ head of operations Rob McCaw.

“This needs a truck that can carry a crew of up to five volunteers, pull a four-tonne boat on a one-tonne trailer and handle tight, winding roads, steep hills, wet, icy conditions and tricky offroad launch points,” he said,

An RFP was issued and one clear winner emerged – the Fuso 4WD Canter 716 Crew Cab from Keith Andrews.

“Getting the right truck and partnering with the right supplier was critical for us,” McCaw said.

“What we have selected here is not just a batch of trucks, it is a rescue partner for the future.

“The trucks themselves form a complete rescue system with the boats they are towing and a full crew on board. Our intention is to standardise these units across the country as the time comes to retire older vehicles,” he said.

“Canter meets all of our requirements as a tow and rescue vehicle. The 4WD capability, with lockable front hubs and rear limited slip diff, will enable our crews to deploy across a range of terrain and conditions on lake edges and rocky shorelines.

“We have had them fitted with storage units for cold and wet weather gear, spare kit and equipment, and there’s still space in the tray if needed for small items of recovered wreckage.”

It’s not always a short trip to the beach.

“These units need to be able to travel from their base and deploy to various locations on a range of mission-sets, potentially some distance away – as demonstrated by our support of the fire-fighting efforts around the Southern Lakes.”

“As a Class 2 category vehicle, we will have designated drivers and are funding training where needed. We would encourage any truck drivers out there already on Class 2 licences or higher, who want to give back to their local communities in a truly rewarding way, to get in touch,” McCaw said.

“People don’t always realise that being a Coastguard volunteer doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go out on the water. There are various ways people can help. Having a designated driver for these trucks also means that the rest of the crew can sleep or prepare themselves on the journey.”

McCaw said another big factor in the decision to go with Canter was its ability to meet the legal requirements of a Travel Time Exemption Certificate, which means it can tow the 9m Rayglass boats without needing a pilot vehicle.

“We conducted a Swept Path Assessment and included that with the RFP,” he said.

“Canter’s wheelbase, turning circle and pivot points with a trailer in tow ticked all the boxes.”

Another big tick came from thinking ‘outside the box’, when Keith Andrews provided storage space at its Auckland dealership for some of Coastguard’s new boats.

“We were facing huge costs to have these boats docked at marinas around Auckland while waiting for their refit, so being able to keep them at Keith Andrews was a real help for us,” said McCaw Rob.

“Both sides have approached this as a partnership, which is exactly what we wanted,” he said,