The man had collapsed near the clubhouse. Photo / Michael Cunningham
The "outstanding" efforts of surf life savers and then ambulance staff were not enough to save a man who collapsed and died on Ruakaka Beach.
The man, aged in his 70s, was on the beach with friends when he collapsed just before 5.25pm on Tuesday.
Northern Region of Surf Lifesaving
NZ official David Butt said Ruakaka Surf Lifesaving Club guards were alerted that a man had collapsed near the clubhouse.
The guards took oxygen and an automated external defibrillator (AED) and when they arrived, somebody was performing cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the man. The lifeguards then performed CPR and used the AED to try to keep him alive, before an ambulance crew arrived and took over the resuscitation efforts but they were unable to save the man.
St John Ambulance acting Northern District operations manager Ben Lockie said the lifeguards did outstanding work trying to keep the man alive.
