Police say safety equipment helped save four lives on Friday morning after a boat sank in Bay of Plenty.
The 5 metre boat was 5 kilometres out to sea off Opotiki when the hull split at 8am.
Police say those on board had lifejackets, flares, a cellphone and a radio and were able to raise the alarm and get an immediate response from the Coastguard.
A nearby boat was first to the scene to rescue the crew.
