As stated by Inspector Phil Gillbanks, Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue Manager:
Don’t be alarmed if you see plenty of emergency service action along Papamoa Beach this Saturday, 2 December – it’s all part of a major search and rescue exercise testing the readiness and response of the Search and Rescue sector for a mass rescue event.
The second phase of Operation Whakarauora Tangata will see Police join with a number of other agencies for a practical search and recovery phase, based around Motiti Island and along the shoreline of Papamoa Beach through to Kaituna Cut.
“This exercise will involve actors in the water in and around Motiti Island and people should expect to see a significant rescue presence along the beach as the scenario plays out.”
The scenario is based around a boutique cruise ship stranded on the reef and follows a desktop exercise earlier this year.
The exercise will be based out of the Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club and involve Police, Coastguard from Maketu, Tauranga and Waihi as well as Land Search and Rescue, Surf Lifesaving, Harbourmaster and St John.
The exercise is scheduled to run from 8am to 5pm. We would like to thank the public in advance for their understanding while the exercise is in progress.
