Roy and Gutsell, who were inside the plane, had to convince the 400 or so local civilians who had rushed to help to stop hacking at the exposed metal in an attempt to free those inside, as it was causing heavy sparking and risked tipping the plane from its wedged position on the cliffside.
Gutsell had to extinguish a fire in the cockpit after leaking hydraulic lines caught alight.
While the co-pilot could not be saved, the team provided continuous attendance, treatment, and pain management for a critically injured flight attendant, until the weather cleared enough to allow her evacuation to the hospital the next morning.
Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times from Auckland, Roy said it was a "humbling" experience to receive the honour.
His whole family attended the ceremony in Wellington along with Reuben Merrett, a local St John paramedic.
"It was a very formal occasion, it's not very often I have to wear a suit," Roy said.
Roy, who is now living in Auckland, said he had the opportunity to speak to the other recipients who all had "pretty decent stories to share".
The Royal Humane Society said the flight attendant at the scene would not have survived without the care of the rescuers.
The team "potentially saved dozens more lives" by controlling the crash scene, providing crowd control, and mitigating hazards to prevent a catastrophic post-crash fire and ensuing explosion, the society said.
"The courage and bravery shown by these three individuals is remarkable."
Royal Humane Society of New Zealand Silver Medal recipients
ANDREW GUTSELL
ALYSSA LOWE
ANDREW ROY
BILLY-RAY SLIGHT
AARON WILKINS
GRANT WOODING
NAN XIA
JUNAO ZHANG
RORY CLARKE
ZANE PAKI
