Brian Palmer, Tauranga, QSM
For services to search and rescue. Mr Palmer has been with the Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard for 20 years, including as President, and Chair of the Coastguard Eastern Region. He has been a search and rescue skipper, and has helped with volunteer recruitment and crew training, including using his own vessel for training purposes. He has contributed to restructuring the national organisation into a unified organisation which was formerly made up of more than 60 autonomous Coastguard Affiliated bodies. He contributed to building the Tauranga Coastguard as an organisation committed to providing radio and search and rescue services for the boating population in the greater Bay of Plenty area. This work included helping to install a radio repeater on Mayor Island and contributing to the design and construction of Tect Rescue, Tauranga Coastguard’s dedicated $1 million rescue vessel, which was commissioned in 2003.