Patea Beach gets 3 life buoys

LIFE RING: The one life buoy located 20m north of the Patea River mouth where Kris Wichman drowned.

Patea Beach needs lifesavers on duty during the summer months said Patea Community Board chairman and senior constable Brian Rook.

"Unfortunately we can't get any funding from the South Taranaki District Council for lifeguards so instead we need to get new life buoys.

"We need to do something."

The board is buying three life buoys at a cost of $1200, he said.

"It's not ideal but it's the best we can do. There is only one old life buoy at the beach so we're hoping we'll have the new ones in before Christmas."

In January this year Kris Wichman, 36, died on the beach after saving his 7-year-old niece Kiri-Tepaninga Himiona, and his daughters Izzy, 11, and Ava, 10, from drowning.

Mr Wichman, an experienced surfer and fisherman, had gone into the water to retrieve a ball and did not realise the girls had followed him.

After he had directed his daughters back to shore Mr Wichman and Kiri-Tepaninga were swept 1-2km south of Mana Bay towards the Whenuakura River.

There had been previous attempts to reopen the surf club at Patea but they had all been short-lived, Mr Rook said.

"We don't have the young people in the area or the population here in Patea for a life-saving service."

However, South Taranaki Coastguard has bought a rescue dinghy which will be installed at the beach at Patea this summer, Mr Rook said.

"We'll never give up that one day we'll be able to set up a life saving service. But at the moment it's not financially possible so it just can't happen."