6 November 2026 - Coastguard Sumner's Drone Search and Rescue (SAR) programme was designed for search and rescue, but in September it travelled north for a very different job.
Volunteer drone pilot Daniel Manchester flew research flights over southern right whales off the Whangārei coast for Massey University.
The live-streaming technology developed by the Sumner Drone SAR team sent the footage in real time to Department of Conservation (DOC) staff, local iwi and marine biologists around the country.
Coastguard Whangārei and Coastguard Tutukaka were briefed and on standby, though their help wasn't needed in the end.
At the start of the footage, the pair are resting quietly at the surface. Then a boat approaches, and the mother moves straight to put herself between the vessel and her calf. She rolls and churns the water to shield her young.
It's a strong reminder of DOC's rules for boaties around marine mammals:
Stay 50 metres away from any whale or orca
Stay 200 metres away from any baleen/sperm whale with a calf
Don't travel faster than idle or 'no wake' speed within 300 metres
No more than 3 vessels within 300 metres
Don’t obstruct their path. Approach from a parallel or slightly rear direction
Don’t swim with whales or orca
DOC Christchurch's support for the Sumner drone programme has made similar flights possible in Tākaka. It's a good example of volunteer-built capability being used well beyond what it was designed for.
Learn how to have safe encounters with marine mammals. Check the DOC link below:
