Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro has presented bravery awards to five helicopter pilots who flew into the Whakaari/ White Island eruption in 2019 to help rescue survivors.
Forty-seven people were on the island when the eruption occurred on 9 December 2019, shooting steam, ash and hot rocksinto the air.
Twenty-two people died while the remaining 25 were all injured, many suffering severe burns.
Dispatch orders from the national air ambulance service deemed landing on the island too dangerous, but a group of commercial helicopter pilots went anyway.
Over the course of 40 minutes, the efforts of the commercial helicopter pilots and crew resulted in 20 casualties being found on the crater floor, with 12 injured people being flown to the mainland by helicopter. Eight of the deceased were repositioned so their bodies could be recovered later.
Volcanic Air Safaris director Tim Barrow. Photo / File
Of the 12 people helicoptered out, 10 died.
The chief executive of helicopter company Kahu NZ, Mark Law, received the insignia of the New Zealand Bravery Star, for an act of outstanding bravery in a situation of danger.
Law was the first to land on the island and was later joined by his crew Tom Storey and Jason Hill.
But while alone, with acidic air present, Law put on a gas mask and waded through shin-deep ash to locate 20 people in the crater.
Law told RNZ it was pleasing people were being recognised for stepping up and having a volunteering spirit in a time of crisis.
“So to be recognised for that act is great and I hope it’s a bit inspiring for a lot of others that no matter what happens and who says what or what rules are in place, just get out there and do it.”
Storey and Hill meanwhile received the insignia of the New Zealand Bravery Decoration.
Storey said it was “humbling” to be recognised. “What we’ve gone through is nothing to what a lot of other families have gone through, who’ve lost loved ones.”
A still taken from a tourist boat when Whakaari White Island erupted in December 2019. Photo / Supplied
It was a sentiment echoed by Hill: “Our thoughts are obviously always with those families. [Both] the ones that suffered severe injuries and the ones that lost their loved ones.”
Director and chief helicopter pilot of Volcanic Air Tim Barrow and Graeme Hopcroft, also from Volcanic Air, also received the insignia of the New Zealand Bravery Decoration.
After becoming aware of the eruption, Barrow and Hopcroft took off from Rotorua, arriving at the island to help the Kahu NZ crew rescue casualties.
Barrow said it was humbling to be recognised for something that was the “Kiwi way”.
Hopcroft hoped it would inspire people to help others in the future.
“If you’ve got the skills and the resources, help, you can sort out the other things later. But if a person’s in dire straits and needs some help get out there and do what you can,” he said.
Kahu Helicopters and Volcanic Air both operated tours to the island and are also facing legal action.
The charges relate to events before the eruption and had nothing to do with the rescue and recovery afterwards.
On Tuesday, the Crown Research Institute GNS Science pleaded guilty to charges brought against it in the wake of the eruption. The charges against GNS related to multiple field trips its staff took to the island, before the eruption, and the institute’s failure in its duty to the helicopter pilots who were contractors.
