Police name man who died at Awhitu Regional Park

Police have named the man who died in tragic circumstances yesterday at Awhitu Regional Park.

He was Imtiaz Aziz, 40, from Papakura.

The death has been referred to the Coroner.

Emergency services were called to the rural south Auckland beach about 12.40pm on Sunday after reports three people were seen struggling in the water.

The man was pulled from the water and was being given CPR when the Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew arrived.

He died at the scene.

Aziz was a father of two children, a daughter and a son.

The children swallowed some water and were flown by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Middlemore Hospital in a moderate condition during the event.

Awhitu Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Andrew Hamilton told the Herald the father, and his children, were returning from a small island, Kauritutahi, in the harbour about 200m from the beach at the regional park.

Hamilton understood the father and children were camping at the regional park with other family members.

"I think they were fishing on the island … They got caught in the tide when they were making their way back to shore by foot."

It was one of two tragedies on the water over the weekend. On Saturday, a group of Massey High School students were swept down a swollen river in the Waitakere Ranges by a flash flood. Two 17-year-olds died.