Key Takeaways
- Police refused a helicopter to help rescue a 13-year-old girl from a Coromandel cliff face, mistakenly thinking she was dead.
- The girl was stuck on the cliff for several hours after witnessing her friend’s death, and was eventually rescued by a Fire and Emergency (FENZ) cliffs rescue team.
- FENZ expressed distress and frustration over the police decision, citing recurring problems getting air ambulance helicopters to transport their lines rescue teams.
- Police have apologized for the mistake, saying they should have asked more questions to determine the full circumstances of the rescue.
- The incident has highlighted issues with communication and coordination between emergency services, with FENZ calling for a review to prevent similar delays in the future.
Introduction to the Incident
The incident occurred on January 11, 2025, at Hahei beach on the Coromandel Peninsula, where a 13-year-old girl and her friend had been climbing. The boy fell to his death, and the girl was left stranded on the cliff face, shouting for help. A bystander called for assistance, and a Hahei volunteer fire crew, a St John ambulance, and a chopper with a winch from Ardmore responded to the scene.
Request for Helicopter Assistance
The FENZ call log and emails from the night of the rescue reveal that police refused a helicopter to help rescue the girl, citing cost as the reason. The Hahei volunteer fire crew had asked where the cliff rescue team was, and Hamilton acting group manager Matt Leonard explained that police would not approve a helicopter response because of the cost. The FENZ communications shift manager emailed that had the crew been deployed via helicopter, their flight time would likely have been less than 45 minutes, rather than the 1-hour 40-minute drive.
Rescue Efforts
The FENZ cliffs rescue team drove from Hamilton and eventually rescued the girl at midnight. The team had to move in the dark through the bush above, taking huge care not to dislodge any rocks, before going down on ropes about 100m to her. A volunteer crew from Tairua with less advanced lines rescue skills got there a bit earlier, but had not gotten to her.
Police Apology and Review
Police have apologized for the mistake, saying they should have asked more questions to determine the full circumstances of the rescue. Acting Waikato police district commander acting Superintendent Will Loughrin said police had taken steps to address the issue, including reminding staff of the appropriate process around the authorization of resources. FENZ has called for a review to prevent similar delays in the future, citing recurring problems getting air ambulance helicopters to transport their lines rescue teams.
Communication and Coordination Issues
The incident has highlighted issues with communication and coordination between emergency services. FENZ emails from the night of the rescue referred to St John making a procedural change, requiring approval from the police’s national SAR co-ordinator for air ambulances. A FENZ manager wrote that the Hahei call log appeared to show police declined the request for a helicopter, citing cost. The emails also showed that the police dispatchers, and those from ambulance, the airdesk, and FENZ, had tried their best, but the police late shift had only just come on, and SAR had not been notified because this was not considered a SAR incident.
Timeline of Events
The timeline of events on January 11, 2025, shows that St John was alerted to a teenager falling on to rocks at Hahei at 8:04 pm. The Hahei volunteer fire crew got there at 8:25 pm and reported the girl was trapped and they needed lines rescue. The FENZ lines rescue team left Hamilton in a ute at 8:51 pm, and police declined a helicopter at 9:50 pm. The lines rescue team arrived at the cliff at 10:31 pm and rescued the girl at 11:59 pm.
Conclusion
The incident at Hahei beach has highlighted the importance of effective communication and coordination between emergency services. The police refusal to approve a helicopter to help rescue the girl, citing cost, has been widely criticized, and FENZ has called for a review to prevent similar delays in the future. The incident has also highlighted the need for emergency services to work together to ensure that those in need of help receive the best possible response.
