A team from Newmont Waihi Gold took out first spot in the inaugural New Zealand Mines Rescue Competition over the weekend.
Four teams took part in the event which was hosted by Newmont Waihi Gold. The teams undertook a series of tests including a simulated underground search and rescue, a fitness test and a bench test which involved identifying equipment faults and theory questions.
The Waihi Black team finished first, ahead of the Mines Rescue team from Huntly. A second Waihi team, Waihi Red, came third, with the OceanaGold team rounding out the field. Waihi Black's Dave Oliver was judged Best Team Captain.
WorkSafe New Zealand took the lead in organising the competition which was also supported by Straterra Inc., Newmont Waihi Gold, MITO, MinEx and Gough Cat. Such competitions are common internationally and are a proven way to simulate the sort of pressure rescuers face in real life emergency situations due to the highly-charged nature of competing and the unknown elements of individual events.
WorkSafe's chief executive Gordon MacDonald observed the competition and said the teams were really put through their paces in a true test of their mettle.