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Dunedin Public Libraries and the Dunedin Lebanese Community Present:
HE PURAPURA MARARA SCATTERED SEEDS
HE PURAPURA MARARA SCATTERED SEEDS
SAR and Taieri Mouth
Main details
In some areas of SAR it has not always been plain sailing with personality clashes and some locals stating they know more and done more than others regarding SAR but at the same time not willing to stand out and be part of SAR.
For Taieri Mouth in 1990 two letters were received by the Police signed by two Taieri Mouth fishermen complaining about the local marine SAR adviser. The meeting was called the Police SAR coordinator Sgt Peter Wood and was attended by key Dunedin and Nth Otago marine search and rescue personal and 18 Taieri Mouth fishermen. To open the meeting they spoke of what they had done for search and rescue over the past 42 years, done the job and went home satisfied. Their gripe was initially directed to the rumour that despite the high regard this group had for search and rescue the ‘bone’ was pointed at one person in SAR who may be using their position for financial gain.
For one who was at the meeting and studied the minutes of the meeting later the real guts of the issue appeared to be personality versus lack of understanding of modern search and rescue. The complainer’s lack of interest towards a structured SAR response system showing up through their misunderstanding of the role of an adviser and what SAR equipment and resources was available locally and at Dunedin.
Rowan leck an adviser from Dunedin explained that an adviser had more than one role to play, advice the Police on the best course of action and resources to use and then coordinate the response and be accountability to the Police. The adviser can also only ask one to respond to an incident, but then is responsible towards the ability for that person to complete the task successfully, the adviser basing their decisions on being convinced by the one being tasked of their ability, the information at hand, current and future conditions and the past experience of the adviser.
The Chairman of North Otago SAR continued that that this was not the first time such accusations had arisen.
The meeting Chairman Sgt. Peter Woods at the start that this meeting directed that it was about the current problems surrounding Taieri Mouth not personalities. After listening to all the comments Peter Woods pointed out that most of this was part of what an adviser had to put up with and suggested six members of Taieri Mouth Fishermans community be prepared to get involved and educate search and rescue and be fully committed.
Seven days another special meeting were convened at the Police Club. The Chairman Ian Simpson opened the meeting by directing the order business and debate before distributing the minutes of the previous special meeting and allowing time for the contents to be digested before inviting Sgt Peter Woods to describe the circumstances for this meeting who did so be reading the contents of the letters to the meeting and detailing those in attendance at that meeting.
To formally open discussion a motion ‘that the marine SAR advisory committee endorse Keith Simon as an adviser for the Taieri Mouth area’. Sgt Simpson of Oamaru Police SAR opened the discussion by describing his impression that the Police had not called for debriefs after incidents and key people involved in incidents had not been invited to any debrief that had been conducted. For this both the Police and the committee should accept some blame for the current situation. All other speakers spoke in support for Keith Simon to be retained as an adviser.
Keith in his defence before retiring from the meeting assured everyone that the subject of salvage had not been considered during any SAR incident, all effort was for the welfare of the survivors. The motion was put and carried with the meeting directing that the result be forwarded to the writers of the letters. The Chairman when closing the meeting advised that 3 members of the Taieri Fishermen had been invited to the next general meeting. Two fishermen, M Denton and L Paterson attended the following meeting on the 2 August 1990 where a letter signed by Murray Fraser on behalf of the fishermen at Taieri Mouth was read t o the meeting by Sgt Woods. The letter stating that although they would continue to do SAR they would not work with or take orders from Keith Simon. He then described a phone call Police had received from a radio station requesting information of the subject and how the Police dealt with it.
The subject was further discussed with the 2 fishermen’s reps in attendance with the decision to call a meeting at Taieri Mouth where search and rescue and the scoop net at Taieri Mouth would be talked over.
The meeting was held on the 6 Sept 1990 with Rowan Leck acting as Chairman. In opening the meeting he set out the procedure for the meeting and asked Stan Hansen describe to the attendees what is discussed under the heading of operations following an operation using the last Taieri Mouth incident as an example. Questions were answered and a general discussion allowed which only covered old ground. It was for history to decide the end game to this saga.
The coastal fishing industry over the following years including Taieri Mouth went into decline. It was left for the incumbent adviser to struggle on, with little local support and relying on surf Life Saving from Brighton and the rescue helicopter to supplement the meagre local resources.
Criticism of search and rescue actions was not restricted to this area as a letter from the Port Chalmers Fishermans Coop presented to the 7 Feb 1991 meeting shows. Following the reading of the letter the Chairman declared that the mater had been covered at the last meeting and no further action was required. The letter was discussed later in the meeting where it was stated that Warren Lewis had at all times been working under the direction of Constable Paddy Hannon. Warren adding that the Coop could not have had the full facts of the mater when writing the letter and he rejected the criticism.
Date07/01/2016Relates to
PlaceTaieri Mouth, DunedinTaieri RiverGroupDunedin Marine Search and Rescue IncGeo Coord[1] SubjectSearch and Rescue
Taieri RiverGroupDunedin Marine Search and Rescue IncGeo Coord[1] SubjectSearch and RescueContributors
ContributorRowan Leck
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Dunedin Public Libraries (7th Jan 2016). SAR and Taieri Mouth. In Website Dunedin Public Libraries. Retrieved 12th Apr 2026 01:47, from https://dunedin.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/199837