Father-of-three Laken Toko Watene was rock fishing at Crayfish Point, Te Akau, with two mates on December 1, 2022, when they noticed the waves getting bigger.
While Adam Lush and Pakatai Awatere managed to cling to a rock, Watene was dragged out to sea. The pair tried to help by throwing out a burley rope but the current was too strong.
An inquest into the 30-year-old’s death was held by Coroner Bruce Hesketh in Hamilton in November last year to determine the central issues; whether Watene is dead, whether he drowned, and if his death could have been prevented.
Lush told the inquest they got to the spot about lunchtime but after a couple of hours, the wind switched to offshore, increasing the size of the waves and swell.
They had a few more casts but the big waves continued so they began packing up their gear to leave. High tide was at 5pm.
Lush and Awatere were in the cove of the fishing spot, while Watene, a self-employed roofer from Hamilton, was by the “climbing point” when a monster wave hit them all.
Afterward, the pair looked out to sea and saw Watene floating about 20 metres away and getting dragged out backward in the water.
Lush said with the benefit of hindsight, they should have been wearing lifejackets, adding he believed it was the law in Australia to wear one while rock fishing and suggested it should be mandatory in New Zealand too.
‘Left their exit too late’
In Coroner Hesketh’s findings, a Surf Life Saving New Zealand report stated the weather that day was “extremely windy [more than 50kmh] and the visibility in the water was poor”.
The coastline had “high-energy ocean swells” and with low tide at 10.19am, it had been rising for about four hours before the incident.
The conditions meant the waves and current were getting stronger and it would have been “difficult” to remain upright if struck by a wave.
Swells were around 4m in size.
The coroner found Watene’s chances of survival would have improved “significantly” had he been wearing a lifejacket.
“Furthermore if suitable public rescue equipment [PRE] had been available to Mr Awatere and/or Mr Lush and they could have thrown that to Mr Watene in time, there is a possibility he could have stayed afloat long enough to be rescued by emergency services.”
Crayfish Point, at Matira, near Te Akau, where Hamilton man Laken Watene was swept to his death while rockfishing. Image / Google Maps
He said there was also a lack of signage warning users of the dangers of fishing at Crayfish Point and that posed a “significant risk to the public”, particularly rock fishermen.
PRE, including life rings, should be easily found and easy to use.
“Despite the inclement weather conditions, a life ring or similar flotation device could have kept him afloat,” the findings read.
The land was owned by private landowners and iwi Waikato-Tainui.
The coroner met with local iwi and Eru Whare, chair of Pukerewa Marae, who recalled six others being swept off waves in that area over the years.
Whare said there were a lot of “short tides” - where the tides turn a lot quicker - on the west coast.
The danger with short tides was that people didn’t notice the signs of the changing tide that brought waves in quicker in the form of “rogue waves” - the kind that caught Watene and his friends out.
“During the hui discussions, it was evident to Mr Whare that the three men had left their exit too late.”
It was agreed that education was the best tool to prevent further deaths, rather than banning access, and those visiting the area to fish were urged to ask locals for permission and about conditions on the day.
The coroner recommended suitable signage be erected at known rockfishing points near Pukerewa Marae, installation of a fixed flotation device, and rockfishers wear a lifejacket anywhere in New Zealand.
Waikato-Tainui intended to act on the recommendations.
Coroner Hesketh found Watene died accidentally by drowning.
