The unit was nominated in three big categories — outstanding leadership, unit of the year and community engagement of the year.
President and secretary Jonathan Walmisley, who was nominated for outstanding leadership,
said it had transformed from a small unit of 15 members with an old boat and no home to a well-developed unit of 33 people, capable of meeting everything that was thrown at it.
"The callouts, tows, rescues are almost incidental, the outcome occurs because of everything we do."
Many events contributed to the sweep of nominations, including a huge effort to raise funds for a new marine rescue centre and a push to educate the public on staying safe on the water.
"We opened our marine rescue centre in November last year, which was a culmination of about five years work, fundraising and public relations — everything you can imagine to get all the consents.
"It’s improving our call outs and the boat is under a cover now.
"It’s really hard to put it into words, but it has made a huge impact for us to be able to respond to any problem on the lake."
The nominations were not just a reflection of his leadership but of a huge team effort, Mr Walmisley said.
The winners will be announced later this week by Coastguard New Zealand.
