Six people have been rescued from the sea near Taronui Bay after their waka ama broke in to pieces on Sunday.
The Coastguard received a distress call from the vessel just after 9am and was initially believed to be coming from a location near Muriwai Beach.
A second distress call was registered just north of the Bay of Islands, where a joint effort between HeliMed and Coastguard volunteers was launched to find the vessel.
After 40 minutes, all members had been accounted for and were being transported back to shore to be assessed by ambulance.
Coastguard Operations Centre duty officer Hemi said, "today's positive outcome is a huge credit to them for having the right equipment and proof that wearing a lifejacket saves lives.
"Carrying a VHF Radio and Locator Beacon has made a huge impact to our response time of our Volunteers onboard Bay Rescue II and a reminder of the importance of this search and rescue resource for the northland community."
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