Opinion: Stood down for a good deed?

Matthew Collicott was stood down from his operational duties after he and others rescued the killer whale. Photo/FILE

It's difficult to comprehend why the Waikato Regional Council felt the need to stand down a harbourmaster for successfully saving an orca trapped in a cray pot.

As reported in the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend, Matthew Collicott was stood down from his operational duties after he and others rescued the killer whale overnight on Wednesday.

According to reports, the Department of Conservation was alerted to the whale but locals took action about 7pm when the department had still not arrived.

The council stood Collicott down from operational duties on Friday as it made inquiries into his involvement in the rescue.

Council chief executive Vaughan Payne says he understands Mr Collicott's intentions.

However, it seems council managers only learned about the rescue after the event and so did not have an opportunity "to consider a role in approving nor trying to prevent the staff member being part of the rescue".

I can appreciate that the council, like all employers, has to abide by health and safety laws and that a rescue operation involved a large wild animal, such as an orca, is inherently dangerous.

I'm not sure how keen I would be to involved in such a rescue.

Correct protocol may have dictated that Collicott waited for trained Department of Conservation staff to arrive, but it appears he made a judgement call based on his concerns for the safety of the trapped orca.

Hopefully, given the positive outcome, the council will take this into account when it assesses Collicott's actions - which have been praised by many.