Mount Maunganui lifeguards ask public to respect Moturiki/Leisure Island life rings
A newly installed life ring was found removed from its box and on the ground on Moturiki Island on Thursday.
Lifeguards are asking the public to “respect” life rings newly installed on Mount Maunganui’s Moturiki/Leisure Island after one was removed from its box and “tossed on the ground”.
Three sets of public rescue equipment and a warning sign were installed on Moturiki Island on June 30 after a coroner recommended this be done urgently, following his investigation into the accidental drowning death of Tauranga father Reon Wikeepa in November.
The 43-year-old died after he jumped into the water at Moturiki Island to help his daughter, who was having trouble getting out.
Coroner Ian Telford found it “likely” Wikeepa would have had a “greater chance of survival” if those who attempted to rescue him had ready access to a flotation device.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service patrol captain John Svensden said he was checking on the newly installed life rings on Moturiki Island on Thursday morning when he saw one out of its box and “off to one side”.
“It was a little bit disappointing to find it in that state, that’s for sure.”
Svensden said there was “a little bit of tagging” on the new boxes, which was a “shame”.
He said nothing had been broken, and he put the flotation device back in its box.
“They’re there for the community to prevent death and prevent drownings and we need to look after them.”
Tauranga City Council community services general manager Barbara Dempsey said a flotation device was removed from its housing and “thrown on the rocks”, and the door had been pulled on “with enough force to bend the hinges”.
This was fixed on Friday, and the council was removing tagging from a second device.
Dempsey said using some form of flotation device was the safest option for a bystander attempting a water rescue, so it was vital the equipment was accessible in an emergency.
“We are dismayed to think that someone would wilfully damage this rescue equipment, which has been installed to increase public safety at Moturiki Island.”
Any damaged or missing equipment should be reported to the council as soon as possible, she said.
Mount Maunganui lifeguard Kent Jarman said the flotation device had been “tossed on the ground”.
“We find it quite frustrating that people don’t actually respect what it’s there for,” the lifeguard of 56 years said.
“As lifeguards, we can’t be everywhere all the time.”
Jarman said he hoped the community would get engaged.
“If people see someone doing something silly, actually saying something, don’t just walk away.”
“Hopefully we don’t have to use them but you never know - something like that might well have saved a poor man’s life.”
“I feel quite strongly about stuff like this… it’s mindless.”
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand eastern region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell asked the public to “please respect” the flotation devices.
“They’re there to save lives and if they’re not there, that puts people at risk.”
In his June ruling into Wikeepa’s death, Coroner Telford also recommended the council and Surf Lifesaving NZ collaborate to assess coastal risks in Tauranga and where more signage and rescue equipment was needed.
At the time, Wikeepa’s sister Nikki Tuhakaraina said the family was happy to see there would be flotation devices near where her brother drowned and in other places along the coastline.
“His death has made, and will continue to make, a big difference in the lives of others who may get into difficulty in the future.”
The coroner referenced the recommendations again later in June as he ruled the death of retired drain layer Kerry Huggard at Mount Maunganui on February 3 was also an accidental drowning.
The Bay of Plenty Times reported rescues at Bay of Plenty beaches had nearly tripled over summer because of challenging weather conditions.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.