Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Hide Rodney: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:626;Page:20884] 
10.  
RODNEY HIDE (Leader—ACT) 
 to the  
Minister for Transport Safety 
: Has he listened to the recorded conversation between the Rescue Coordination Centre and police the night the  
Iron Maiden 
 sank and what is the reason it took nearly 2 hours to launch the rescue helicopter? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Minister for Transport Safety) 
: 
 Yes I have listened to the recorded conversation between the National Rescue Coordination Centre and the police on the night of the sinking of the  
Iron Maiden 
. The rescue helicopter had been launched by the time control of the incident was formally handed over to the Rescue Coordination Centre. 
Rodney Hide 
: Does the Minister accept from the recordings that the New Zealand Police stood the rescue helicopter down and sent the pilot home 26 minutes after the Mayday from the stricken ship because the police wrongly believed that the Sikorsky S-76 did not have the capacity to reach the two men whom the Rescue Coordination Centre believed were adrift in a life raft with limited time before they would be capsized over Pandora bank; how can New Zealanders have any confidence in the rescue services of New Zealand when the police can get it so tragically wrong over the rescue helicopter’s capacity? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: On the face of the recordings as the members says it appears that that is the case. But there are a large number of factors that came into this. Obviously any delay in the dispatch of rescue services is grossly unfortunate but not always avoidable. However there was certainly some understandable confusion in the Northern Communications Centre perhaps due to two rescue incidents happening simultaneously. It is likely that even if the helicopter had been dispatched earlier the men may not have been rescued. It is unfair for the police to be held responsible when people put to sea in the following circumstances: the crew were not sufficiently familiar with the vessel before attempting the trip; the stability of the vessel was in question; there were extremely rough weather conditions—in particular gale-force winds and 4-metre swells; the skipper decided not to seek shelter once faced with those condition after rounding Cape Maria van Diemen; the vessel’s life raft was in a position that made it difficult to access in an emergency situation; and sadly there was possible drug use by the skipper during that period. Additionally the Northern Communications Centre had to be sure that the helicopter crew themselves were not in danger by going out to rescue the men and even in the event of the helicopter being at the scene it is doubtful with the equipment that the helicopter was then fitted with that a recovery would have been possible—particularly in 4½-metre swells gale-force winds driving rain and darkness. 
Hon Mark Gosche 
: Is the Minister satisfied that the National Rescue Coordination Centre is able to handle such searches to give the best possible chance of saving lives? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I am entirely satisfied that the National Rescue Coordination Centre acted efficiently to coordinate the rescue operation from the time it was finally upgraded to class 3 and staff there assumed control. I am very confident that this situation cannot occur again in the future because on 15 September last year the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand and the police agreed on procedural changes to strengthen communications between the two during search and rescue incidents. I am advised that those changes were implemented in September last year. So the Rescue Coordination Centre is fully informed and involved from the outset when appropriate. I think this addresses the issue that Mr Hide raised in terms of the confusion of communication that obviously occurred. 
Peter Brown 
: Noting the rather long earlier answer the Minister gave us will he tell us what portion of the tape recording gives any sort of indication that those factors had any bearing on the decision not to launch the helicopter? It comes across to most New Zealanders—and I think indeed to the good member himself—that there was a lot of confusion and that would be the honest answer to give the House. 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I certainly do not wish to give less than an honest answer to the member and I can assure members that I am as concerned as he is about the communication issues and the confusion that occurred. As soon as I heard of the circumstances surrounding the situation I immediately asked for a review after I had had the verbal briefing from the Secretary for Transport on 15 March this year by the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council of the search and rescue classification system. That review was completed on 15 April and has recommended further changes: one to reinforce existing polices about who does what; two to strengthen communication procedures; and three to investigate alternatives to the current search and rescue classification system. These changes are currently being implemented. As I said before to the member I have taken this issue extremely seriously. Two lives were lost in these circumstances but sadly it might not have been possible to save them even if the helicopter had been dispatched earlier than it was. 
Rodney Hide 
: Has the Minister had an explanation from the New Zealand Police as to why the police search and rescue liaison officer based in the commissioner’s office Geoff Logan assured the National Rescue Coordination Centre three times that the helicopter was on the way to rescue those two men when in fact the helicopter was not launched for another 58 minutes; if so what was that explanation and if not why has he not sought an explanation as to why the police can so grievously mislead the Rescue Coordination Centre? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I have asked for an explanation of what occurred in this case. There was certainly some confusion in communication between the Northern Communications Centre and the police liaison officer. I do not believe that the police liaison officer misled anybody; I believe he reported what he thought was the correct situation. If the member has questions for the Minister of Police on the operations of the police I suggest that he raises those with the Minister. I can assure the member that since I was first aware of this circumstance I have taken every step to ensure that the search and rescue side of things has been sorted out. I can tell the member that maritime and aviation incidents will not now be subject in the way they have been to some sort of decision part-way through the process before the Rescue Coordination Centre is in the loop. It will be in the loop from the beginning of the issues and that action has already been well agreed and put in place. 
Rodney Hide 
: Having listened to the recordings of communication between the Rescue Coordination Centre and the New Zealand Police does the Minister agree with Superintendent Tony McLeod who only last week said: “I am very comfortable with how the coms centre responded to the incident.”; if so why does the Minister accept that the communications centre handled that incident appropriately and if not what is being done to stop that botch-up occurring ever again? 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I will answer the last part of the question first: I can assure the member that a botch-up cannot occur again because the Maritime Operations Centre and the National Rescue Coordination Centre take charge of the issues from the beginning and then a decision is made during the process as to what resources are appropriate. That is a different situation from what we had in the old search and rescue class 2 class 3 system. However I am not sure whether the police officer involved and I were listening to the same tapes if that is his view. 
Rodney Hide 
: I seek the leave of the House to table a transcript of the recordings between the Rescue Coordination Centre and the New Zealand Police on the night of 16 August 2004 when the  
Iron Maiden 
 sank. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN 
: I seek the leave of the House to table the official report of the Maritime Safety Authority into the foundering of the vessel  
Iron Maiden 
. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.