A collaborative, community-based approach will be vital in reducing the number of preventative drownings on the Manukau, Coastguard has told the Manukau Harbour Forum.
Between 2014-2023 there were 17 preventable drownings on the Manukau Harbour and bar – 13 of them involving boats.
Bar Safety Programme Lead Simon Marshall says 16 were male, 14 were aged over 45, nine died on the bar – the majority Pasifika and Asian, eight inside the harbour, two carried lifejackets but did not wear them, while four had no lifejackets.
“That is an awful lot of grief,” he said.
Coastguard has appealed to the Forum to help it reach larger ethic audiences, to support changes to lifejacket bylaws and to provide dedicated Coastguard parking at all-tide ramps for quicker response times when people need help.
Forum and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board member Togiatolu Walter Togiamua was presented with a certificate for completing Coastguard's Day Skipper Course, receiving the ward online.
At present, Coastguard has three units strategically located across the harbour - Papakura, Waiuku and Onehunga (formally at French Bay in Titirangi). Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol, based at Ardmore, is also available to search and rescue operations across the vast area.
However, because Coastguard relies on volunteers leaving their homes or workplaces, and all three units must transport their vessels to a boat ramp, responding to incidents - particularly near the Manukau bar - can take up to 45 minutes.
Regional manager Jonny Bannister told the Forum Coastguard Titirangi was still recovering from the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle, which left volunteers homeless at French Bay, with the unit relocating to Onehunga with the support of Eke Panuku.
“We need a permanent base at Onehunga, with the ability to launch from the wharf and respond to incidents as fast as possible,” he said.
Forum and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board member Togiatolu Walter Togiamua was also presented with a certificate for completing Coastguard's Day Skipper Course.
“It makes a difference in diverse communities when its leaders don’t just talk, they act. By bringing others from his Pasifika community along, he may have saved a life. He has certainly made boating safer for them,” Marshall says.
Whau Local Board chair and MHF representative Kay Thomas says her area is committed to working with the other eight boards that edge the harbour – Franklin, Papapkura, Manurewa, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara-Papatoe, Maungakiekie-Tāmaki, Puketāpapa, and Waitākere – to improve the health of the harbour.
“The Manukau is an integral part of life in the west of the city. It’s well-being is critical to the board. Having a healthy harbour benefits everyone. We talk often about the health of the ranges, but it’s just as important that we focus on preserving the mauri of our harbour.”
Coastguard’s website is here. Watch Manukau bar safety video here.
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