Fisherman missing in water off Hawke’s Bay coast, colleagues join search

Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre ran the search for a person missing in the water off the coast of Hawke’s Bay. Rescue helicopter services, Coastguard Hawke’s Bay and NZDF were involved. Photo / Warren Buckland

The colleagues of a fishing vessel crew member missing off the coast of Hawke’s Bay were on the water aiding search efforts more than 17 hours in.

The man was reported overboard from a boat around 11km offshore of Waimārama, around 8pm on Easter Monday.

Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre was running the search, which included rescue helicopter services from Auckland, Gisborne and Hastings, Coastguard Hawke’s Bay and other vessels in the area.

Coastguard Hawke’s Bay president Henry van Tuel said the vessel from which the man had gone missing was the Pacific Challenger.

Coastguard Hawke’s Bay had been involved in the search since 9pm on Monday and had resumed efforts on Tuesday.

A NZ Defence Force spokesman said crew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter had joined the search on Tuesday.

Hawke’s Bay deputy harbour master Adrian Wright said rescue operations were ongoing as of 1.15pm and the vessel from which the person went missing, a commercial fishing vessel operating locally, was still out on the water with them.

“We’re working hard to get this individual home to his loved ones.”

The search for the person fisherman about 11km off the coast of Waimārama was ongoing into Tuesday afternoon. Photo / Warren Buckland

He said the circumstances of how the man ended up overboard were unclear and it was not known if he was wearing a lifejacket.

Conditions off the coast of Hawke’s Bay remained mostly fine on Tuesday according to MetService, with a southeast swell of one metre.

‘Grid search’ tracking of the three rescue helicopters involved in the search. Photo / Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter

Police said they were advised at 9.15pm on Easter Monday that the person was missing.

Flight radar showed multiple rescue helicopters following a grid search pattern off the coast east of Waimārama Beach overnight Monday and into Tuesday.