This award winning unit was formed in 1998 and currently operates a 9.5 metre AMF Quick Response Vessel from a floating dock berthed in Tutukaka Marina. 

This arrangement ensures a timely response to notification of emergency situations occurring in the unit's area of responsibility.  The area of responsibility covers approximately 500 square nautical miles between the Rimariki Islands and Bream Head, and out to the Poor Knights Islands and beyond; and is the main route for larger vessels moving between Auckland and popular destinations in the Bay of Islands. 

Tutukaka is a major game fishing centre and home to Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers' Club; the number and size of vessels operating from the marina, particularly during the summer months, has therefore increased over the years and required Coastguard volunteers to become better trained and equipped to cope with more complex tasks.