- 24Sep
I recently spent a head-banging morning talking to a New Zealand resident who had purchased an ACR, Australian-coded PLB from my store.
He initially contacted me by email saying that he was unable to register the beacon in NZ with RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) in Wellington. They'd also told him that, as a NZ resident, he wouldn't be able to register it with AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) in Canberra either.
Without waiting for my response, he sent the beacon to the NZ ACR agent in Auckland for re-coding then tried to bully me into paying for this unnecessary cost .
Several phone calls and emails between myself, the RCC and AMSA followed with the result that my understanding of the registration process was correct and the customer had been misled.
The facts regarding beacons, simply put, are:
If you buy an Australian-coded PLB or EPIRB, as a NZ resident, you can register it with AMSA in Australia but not with RCC in Wellington.
If you have a NZ-coded beacon, you can only register it with RCC in Wellington.
Whether you have a NZ-coded or Australian-coded beacon, there is no difference in rescue times as the local country authority is responsible for the SaR. All beacons operate on a global system around in the world.
I sell KTi NZ-coded PLB's and EPIRBs into New Zealand which are manufactured in Australia with no agent in NZ.
I also sell Australian-coded ACR and Ocean Signal PLB's into NZ which need to be registered with AMSA in Canberra. I have been blocked by local agents and dealers from selling you NZ-coded ones - presumably to protect their commercial interests.
My websites and all the information I send buyers via email after their purchase state all this but some choose not to read them then blame me for their misunderstanding.
I am proud that I'm at the vanguard of helping Kiwis access affordable beacons which, for so long, have been overpriced in New Zealand. And whilst there is a small degree of altruism on my part in giving Kiwis the same financial advantage as Aussies, I don't do it simply because I think you are wonderful people!
I also actively encourage you to register your beacon. This isn't mandatory for Au coded beacons, but it helps with rescue co-ordination if you find yourself in circumstances where you need to activate it.
SkippersMate and KTi are proud sponsors of the Aspiring Avalanche Dogs based in Wanaka. The four handlers are all equipped with KTi PLB's for added safety. We will be supplying them with a further PLB as a raffle prize next year so follow them on Facebook and buy your ticket to support a good cause.