In 2023, Bluff woman Meri Leask had been volunteering for more than 40 years, helping people stay safe on the water. From her home, she monitored radio calls from fishing vessels and other sea traffic in the treacherous Foveaux Strait, the southern South Island, Rakiura/Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, the subantarctic islands, and sometimes further afield.

Leask provided those out at sea with weather updates and checked for their safe return. In two days in January 2023, she logged over 320 calls from people heading out on the water and reporting their safe return. If things went wrong or people lost contact, she communicated with marine search and rescue and the coastguard. She has played a crucial role in many search and rescue operations. Meri Leask was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006.