Former Tauranga coastguard operations manager Chris Isherwood is the new Tauranga harbourmaster.

A former maritime officer with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Chris has stepped up to the post vacated by former Tauranga harbourmaster Jennifer Roberts – but the title is now deputy harbourmaster.

Chris Isherwood is the new Tauranga harbourmaster.

Chris comes from Nelson and developed his love of the ocean watching black and white TV programmes of undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau's adventures.

'I could snorkel before I could swim, and decided to study marine biology at Victoria University so I could join Cousteau's crew,” says Chris. 'It was either that or be an All Black.”

He worked as a fisheries officer in his last year at university, based in Tauranga, and when the fisheries ministry was restructured he had the opportunity to aim for his other love, playing rugby in Perth, Australia and Devon, England. Back in New Zealand looking for a new challenge, he joined the Police.

'I was a diving instructor for 17 years and construction diver, so when I joined the police I kept on scuba diving and kept that link to the ocean,” says Chris.

After he left the Police he worked for the harbourmaster as a maritime officer, and managed the Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard unit before returning to work in the maritime industry, and working offshore with kiwifruit marketers Zespri monitoring on their export ships. He also lived on his own boat for a while to make the most of living on the water.

Following the Canterbury earthquakes he worked in Christchurch with the Earthquake Commission for a year, and then when Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef in 2011 he returned to Tauranga to help out.

'I live here because I love it. It's such a fabulous boating and water sport environment. My aim is to continue getting water safety messages out to not only our local boaties, but also the ones who come from other areas.

'Because this is such a beautiful place there is increasing pressure on the environment and we all need to share the space safely.”