New charts are now current for Marsden Point and Whangārei Harbour, with the New Zealand Hydrographic Authority releasing updated editions of NZ 5214 and NZ 5215. Both incorporate fresh survey data and general revisions, superseding the 2014 and 2019 editions respectively. Any skipper planning a passage through these waters is required to mark the older editions as "superseded" and replace them before departure. The revised charts address harbour approaches through to the Town Basin, reflecting recent hydrographic survey work and documented changes to the shoreline.
Alongside these, the NZHA has added NZ6HWRE1, a new HD ENC covering North Island – East Coast – Northport, to the existing Electronic Navigational Chart suite. Mariners using ENC exchange sets are reminded to read the README.TXT file included within them. That file carries safety-critical information and is updated on a regular basis, making it essential reading rather than optional background.
A removal that will concern many small-craft skippers in the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is the deletion of the navigation light at Milford Beach. The light at position 36°45'.85S, 174°45'.95E has had its white, red, and green sectors all struck from the record, and Light List entry No. 3743 has been formally withdrawn. This directional aid has been widely used by vessels navigating the area, and its removal means charts and published references must be corrected without delay. Skippers who have relied on this light for coastal approaches should treat the change as urgent.
Whangārei Harbour is also the subject of a temporary notice, issued as 60T/25. It covers updated depth information, shoreline construction works, and changes to aids to navigation. The standard guidance applies: annotate in pencil and monitor for further amendments as conditions evolve.
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For operators of commercial vessels and larger yachts running ECDIS, a renewed warning from the IMO carries particular weight. Certain ECDIS units have been found to fail in displaying significant new chart features correctly, a shortcoming with obvious implications for safe navigation. In response, the International Hydrographic Organization has produced an ENC Data Presentation and Performance Check dataset, made freely available through ENC service providers and the IHO website. Operators are strongly encouraged to run the dataset against their systems, assess the results, and report findings back to the IHO, IMO, relevant hydrographic offices, and equipment manufacturers. Undetected display failures can mean critical information simply does not appear on screen, which is far more than a minor technical footnote.
Mariners planning passages beyond New Zealand's coastline will also find revised optimum R/T frequency band diagrams for NAVAREA XIV broadcasts in this edition. The broadcasts are handled by Taupo Maritime Radio, call sign ZLM, and the frequency guidance itself is maintained by Australian IPS Radio and Space Services. The diagrams are accessible online and are a practical planning tool for anyone managing offshore communications.
This edition of the Notices to Mariners covers significant ground. The chart updates for Marsden Point and Whangārei reflect genuine survey changes rather than minor corrections, the withdrawal of the Milford Beach light removes a navigational reference point relied upon by many, and the ECDIS anomaly issue raises questions that every affected operator needs to answer. New Zealand Notices to Mariners carry legal authority for chart corrections, and maintaining current, properly annotated charts is not a matter of preference. Outdated publications represent a navigational liability, and the discipline of regular updating remains one of the more straightforward contributions a skipper can make to safe passage.
