KEY POINTS:
A man in a dinghy has gone missing off the coast of Napier, amid strong offshore winds, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said today.
A search was launched this afternoon with support from police and the coastguard.
RCCNZ mission coordinator John Dickson said the man was understood to have gone out in the dinghy from Awatoto Beach, Napier, between 4.00am and 11.45am today.
Mr Dickson said messages were being broadcast to local boaties in the area to ask them to keep an eye out.
It was not known what, if any, lifesaving equipment the man had on board, Mr Dickson said.
The weather was blustery, with winds of about 25 knots, or 40kph, but visibility was clear.
The main concern was to try and locate the man before darkness fell, a spokesman said.
A fixed wing aircraft and helicopter were conducting an aerial search, and the coastguard was on the water, he said.
- NZPA
