There is a particular kind of leader who never seems to be performing the role, someone for whom calm and purpose appear to be the same thing. Sarah Psaila is that kind of leader. When she was approached shortly after her nomination for the 2025 International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Awards, she was measured and grounded, and her first instinct was to redirect the credit. Recognition, she made clear, belongs to the team, not to her alone.
That instinct makes sense when you understand the breadth of what she does. As both a Coastguard Auckland skipper and Safe Boating Programme Manager for Coastguard Tautiaki Moana, Sarah moves between two demanding worlds, commanding on-water rescues and shaping how the next generation learns to stay safe before they ever set foot on a vessel.
The Safe Boating Programme reaches thousands of school students every year, covering lifejackets, trip planning, weather awareness, and emergency response. Sarah develops the classroom resources, coordinates delivery across the country, and keeps the whole initiative moving. The motivation behind that effort is straightforward: she wants to stop avoidable accidents from happening by giving people the knowledge and confidence to act before something goes wrong.
"As a mum, that safety factor means everything," she says. "Even though my kids are older now, I still think about how quickly things can change out there. Everyone deserves to come home."
In October, Coastguard Auckland and Sarah were named finalists in the 2025 IMRF Awards, a global recognition of excellence in maritime search and rescue. The nomination specifically acknowledged her leadership in building confidence and opportunity for women in SAR, along with her contribution to Coastguard's volunteer training network.
"I was honoured and proud for New Zealand," she says. "It's not just me out there; it's the whole team behind Coastguard Auckland. I can't do what I do without them."
The award itself went to Caron Parfitt of Marine Rescue New South Wales, but Sarah describes the experience as one that left her energised rather than deflated. "Being part of that global network reminds you that we're all working toward the same goal — saving lives on the water."
Sarah's connection with Coastguard stretches back more than a decade, beginning as crew before she worked her way through to skipper qualifications, a role she continues to perform regularly with Coastguard Auckland's on-water team. By her own account, it was confidence rather than competence that held her back in the early years.
"I didn't think I could do it," she says. "It was my husband who joined later and gave me a push. Once I realised the only thing holding me back was me, I went for it."
That shift in thinking took her through Coastguard's first all-women skipper development course in 2023, where she trained alongside seven other volunteers. Six of those have since qualified as skippers.
The following year, she took part in the IMRF #WomenInSAR training held in Finland, a three-day programme drawing together sixteen women from ten countries. Participants crewed Finnish Lifeboat Institution vessels ranging from rigid inflatables through to 26-metre launches, exchanging leadership approaches and building on-water experience together. The lessons Sarah took from that event continue to inform how she mentors women in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom today.
"We just need that extra nudge sometimes," she explains. "Men will jump in and learn on the way. Women often want to be 80 percent ready before they try — but we can do it too."
Through Little Skippers, Junior Skippers, and the newer Apprentice Skippers programme for teenagers, Sarah is building a structured pathway that takes water confidence from classroom theory through to real crew experience. The habits formed early, she believes, are the ones that last.
Beyond her Coastguard responsibilities, Sarah works alongside groups such as Wild Chix, supporting women in building their boating skills within a welcoming, practical environment. During a recent Women in Boating Day Out, she skippered one of the boats, leading hands-on drills that included man-overboard recoveries and close-quarters handling. Her manner throughout was direct and goal-oriented, with a clear message that there is no need for panic and no reason to doubt yourself.
Whether she is walking school children through lifejacket checks in a classroom or holding course on a rescue vessel in the Hauraki Gulf, the quality that defines Sarah Psaila is the same: steady, genuine care for the people around her.
Her message for Water Safety Month is one she lives by every time she heads out on the water.
"You don't need to be an expert or a hero to make a difference," she says. "Just be prepared, stay calm, and look out for each other."
