Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre is asking for assistance following reports of multiple flares sightings off the East Coast of the North Island.

At about 3:00 am on 24 April, RCCNZ received reports of the flares. The sightings came from someone based at the East Coast village of Tatapouri, north of Gisborne.

As a result local Coastguard and a helicopter were tasked to check the area where the alleged flares were sighted.

The Rescue Coordination Centre says nothing was found after an initial search.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer Julian Tovey says it is important to work out whether the reports of flares were a call for help, or if it is something else.

"We are treating this as a live search until we have information to the contrary.

"If this is a false alarm we would like to close this incident and return the resources," he says.

There have not been any reports of missing or overdue vessels in the area.

The Rescue Coordination Centre says if anyone has relevant information, including vessels out in the area that haven’t returned or ones that haven’t been contacted in the last 12 hours, they should contact Police on 105 quoting event number P054411192.

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