While Dame Cindy was in the United Arab Emirates, in her place Dr Davies was honoured to welcome recipients of the 2021 New Zealand Search and Rescue Awards. These awards recognise NZSAR personnel who have gone above and beyond to ensure people who find themselves in perilous situations made it back home. The New Zealand Search and Rescue sector is made up of around 12000 people across many different agencies, working together to rescue people in distress on land, at sea, or by air. NZSAR covers an area stretching all the way from Scott Base in Antarctica to as far north as Tokelau. Of the almost 3000 incidents NZSAR was involved in last year, 45% resulted in a search and rescue operation being launched.
