Fishing boat tragedy, Mount Ruapehu moves up an alert level and passenger jet plummets into a mountainside in China in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald
Co-ordination for the rescue teams after a fishing boat sunk off North Cape on Sunday night has been a logistical "nightmare", a board member of Far North iwi Ngāti Kuri says.
Ten people were on board the fishing charter vessel Enchanter when crew triggered an emergency beacon during the storm that swept over Northland and Auckland on Sunday night.
Only five were rescued so far while search and rescue teams led by Maritime New Zealand recovered four bodies yesterday.
This morning the search for the last missing person resumes with mixed conditions for searchers, with poor visibility, showers and moderate seas.
Crew on the Enchanter charter fishing boat sent out an emergency beacon alert on Sunday night around 8pm from southeast of North Cape. Photo / Supplied
The Ngāti Kuri resilience team were among the first point of contact for rescue teams who launched a major operation in the early hours of Monday.
Board member Sheridan Waitai said they knew how to respond to crises and mobilised the community to assist crews on the ground.
"Nobody knows this land as we do," Waitai said.
Ngāti Kuri offered their helipad for rescue helicopters, opened the doors of their whānau house as a base for the teams and provided shelter and kai after the five rescued people were brought back to land.
"Everybody is just deeply saddened for those who have passed on. It's a large number of people to die in our waters – in our backyard. It's hard to believe this has happened."
Waitai said they were grateful for all the work the search and rescue teams have done meanwhile the incident showed that rural communities needed to further strengthen their resilience.
"It's a co-ordination nightmare – especially in little isolated communities. We need more opportunity for the community to figure out how to deal with these kinds of scenarios."
After three bodies were recovered on Monday morning, a rescue helicopter retrieved a fourth body in the afternoon. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Support for the rescue teams on the ground comes from all corners of the community.
Far North Mayor John Carter said people were backing the search teams where they could.
"We'll be joining our hands to provide the support needed for the rescue teams and we're standing by the affected families."
Multiple agencies are involved in the rescue including police, Westpac rescue helicopters, local fishing vessels and the NZ Defence Force. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Tangata whenua Te Aupōuri put a two week rāhui in place extending from Maunga Tohoraha (Mt Camel) to Murimotu (North Cape) and around to Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga), the Pārengarenga Harbour is also included in the rāhui.
In accordance with tikanga of Te Aupōuri, kaumātua Winiata Brown, Robert Kaaka and Heta Conrad established the rāhui with karakia held at Te Pua on the shores of Pārengarenga last night.
There will be no gathering of kaimoana or fishing in the area.
The kaumātua will advise when the rāhui has been lifted.
Te Aupōuri chairman Peter-Lucas Jones asked the rāhui to be adhered "out of respect for those that have lost their lives in this tragedy".
"[The kaumātua of Te Aupōuri] have a very intimate understanding and knowledge of the natural environment and as the esteemed elders of our iwi of Te Aupōuri they are the people that put rāhui in place," Jones said.
"On this occasion it is a tragedy that has given rise to the rāhui. Our thoughts are with the whānau of those that have been lost to Tangaroa. A very sad time indeed."
Te Aupōuri were also mindful that efforts continue to locate a remaining missing person.
Three vessels, two helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft were dispatched around 8.30am this morning.
"While we have a number of locations of interest, we need to thoroughly check over about 500 nautical miles of ocean," rescue coordination centre spokesman Nick Burt said.
