Family of man who died in Makaroro River, Hawke's Bay, inspired by legacy

Wellington economist Ed Hearnshaw's family hopes to carry on his legacy and love of the environment with plans to develop an arboretum. Photo / Supplied

It was the most beautiful place political aspirant and economist Geoff Simmons had ever tramped, and he was experiencing it with a lifelong friend.

And even as he crossed and slipped in the fast flowing Makaroro River, in Hawke's Bay's Ruahine Range, he had no idea that amid the beauty, a tragedy was about to unfold.

Edward 'Ed' Hearnshaw, 43, and Simmons, both of them well-known Wellington economists, were on the trip of a lifetime when Hearnshaw was fatally swept downstream on June 1, 2020.

A coroner's report released this week found the pair's decision to cross the stream was reasonable in the circumstances and made no recommendations in relation to the incident.

Simmons told Hawke's Bay Today that Hearnshaw was a "super smart guy, super energetic and outdoorsy and a lot of fun".

"He was a strong, incredibly fit chap."

They regularly went tramping together and were returning from a trip to Lake Colenso when they attempted to cross the Makaroro River.

The river had risen as a result of rain and the pair did not cross at the carpark but took "sensible measures" to find a safer crossing point and were encouraged by the fact that three hunters had been able to cross at a point near Gold Creek Track, the coroner Peter Ryan found.

Simmons said they headed upstream to see if it was possible to cross or alternatively stay in a hut if it was unpassable.

Having run into the hunters they decided to try to cross but both slipped and were pulled under - "that was the last I saw of him", Simmons said.

Simmons was able to regain his feet and get out of the stream, climbing the first hill he found until he had cell phone signal and called the police.

"To be honest I figured if I'd gotten out Ed's going to have gotten out too somewhere ... I was operating on the assumption that he was going to be hauling out of the river at some stage and probably trying to make it back."

He said he didn't realise just how serious it might be until he realised search and rescue hadn't found Ed before it got dark.

Hearnshaw's body was found further downstream the next day.

The coroner found Hearnshaw died from ischaemic heart disease and hypothermia; the pathologist found no specific signs that indicated drowning was the cause of death, though the findings cannot definitively exclude this. As such there were no recommendations to be made.

Simmons said the Hawke's Bay countryside was "the most spectacular place that we had tramped to in terms of a destination".

Hearnshaw's older sister Alice said she was grateful he got a chance to complete the "bucket list" trip to Lake Colenso before he died.

"In that particular location, the last logbook entry was by helicopter, so it's not an easily accessible place and quite special."

She recalled the pair growing up in Canterbury with their father, renowned astronomer John Hearnshaw running the Mt John Observatory.

This fed into Ed's love of the outdoors, with father and son taking their first foray into the bush aged 12.

He brought the passion for the environment to his work with numbers, as a principal policy analyst for the Ministry for the Environment, and then as the chief economist for the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment.

She said he would probably have been most proud of his contribution to the Zero Carbon Act which passed in late 2019.

The Makaroro River through Central Hawke's Bay on the day Ed Hearnshaw's body was found. Photo / Warren Buckland

"He decided he wanted to question things. He loved big problems and exploring big ideas.

"He was motivated by what would lead to great change."

Out of the "heartbreaking situation", Hearnshaw's family and his friends have tried to make the most of it by creating projects that he would have loved, Alice said.

"We were inspired by his legacy to create something for future generations."

This includes an economics award, the Dr Ed Hearnshaw Prize for Economics and the Environment, to inspire young people to solve climate challenges with economics and policy.

The family has also purchased several hectares of land along the Kāpiti coast to develop an arboretum with a mix of natives and exotic trees being planted.

"Ed always wanted to plant an arboretum, a library of exotic and native trees for future generations to enjoy.

Edward 'Ed' Hearnshaw, 43, died after being swept downstream in the Makaroro River, near Hawke's Bay on June 1, last year. Photo / Supplied

"Trees take a lifetime to grow."

She estimates he planted about 7000 trees, during his "Saturday morning sport" sessions, clearing gorse on Wellington hillsides with a group of mates.