Gisborne beach tragedy: Mayor heartbroken after child dies after sea injury, council to investigate wood debris

A boy who suffered fatal injuries in the surf at a Gisborne beach was knocked off a log he was riding and struck his head, a witness says.

The Gisborne Herald reports that the boy suffered fatal head injuries when a wave knocked him off a log and he was struck by it last night.

The boy was at the beach with a family member as a sizeable swell was bringing strong surges of water on to the beach.

The tragedy happened just after 6pm at the Grey St end of the beach.

A witness told the Gisborne Herald the youngster was climbing and standing on the floating log in the shallows. He was seen to fall from it and was struck by the log.

The boy was pulled from the water by people on the beach and attempts were made to revive him by medical personnel who happened to be there.

Debris from the recent passage of ex-tropical cyclone Hale continues to wash up on Gisborne city beaches.

The remains of some big trees are embedded in the sand in the water along the city foreshore.

While the city beaches have been given the all-clear for swimming from a water quality perspective, the public have been urged to watch out for driftwood in the water.

Beach clean-up crews have been working since Monday to remove driftwood debris that has built up on the beach.

Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz says she is “absolutely devastated” and the council will investigate the origin of woody debris in the region, which continues to litter Waikanae Beach, where last night’s tragedy took place.

“I feel heartbroken for this whānau and can’t begin to understand their unimaginable loss. On behalf of the community and as the Mayor I send our sincere aroha to the whānau of this little boy. I will reach out to offer any support to the whānau that I can give,” she said.

“We understand the death has been referred to the coroner and we will co-operate fully with the coroner’s investigation.

“We will also continue our own investigation into the origin of the woody debris and support calls for an independent inquiry into future land use in Tairāwhiti. The state of our waterways is unacceptable.”

Ocean Rhythms Surf Camp claims the child passed away “due to being hit by slash that was in the water” at Waikanae Beach last night. The child was not taking part in the surf school programme.

Desperate fight to save boy on beach

Members of the public rushed to help pull the injured Wellington boy from the water, providing first aid in a desperate but unsuccessful fight to save his life at the Gisborne beach.

The injured boy was taken to hospital in critical condition last night but later died, police said.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand Eastern Region manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell described yesterday’s incident at Waikanae Beach as “tragic”.

“A boy was pulled out from the water by members of the public who provided first aid,” Gibbons-Campbell said.

”Surf lifesaving was not asked for a response but an off-duty lifeguard who was at the scene went to the club and got equipment to help.

”The person was later transported to the hospital in a St John ambulance, which arrived on the scene pretty quickly.”

Members of the public pulled an injured boy from the water at Waikanae Beach, Gisborne yesterday. Photo / Chanelle Louise Rogers

Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club manager Clara Wilson said it was “an incredibly sad event” and that the club sent their deepest condolences to the boy’s whānau.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand spokesman Rob McGregor said from the inquiries so far he understood an incident happened at the beach where the response was not led by lifeguards.

“Tragically a boy lost his life. It is my understanding he was from Wellington. Police are the lead agency in matters relating to this incident.”

McGregor said further inquiries should be directed to the police.

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Police confirmed the death of a child, saying initial indications were that the youngster suffered an injury on the beach and then died a short time later.

“Our thoughts are with their family,” a police statement said.

The exact age of the child and the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to the death are not yet known.

Police said the death has been referred to the Coroner.

A St John spokesperson said they received a call at 7.13pm about an incident on Waikanae Beach, Gisborne.

“We responded with two ambulances and one rapid response vehicle. One patient was taken to Gisborne Hospital via ambulance in critical condition.”

An Awapuni resident who lives next to Waikanae beach said she went there last night but did not see anything.

“I did hear the three police cars fly past, then the ambulance.”

She said the beaches were in a terrible state.

Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust and Te Whānau-a-Iwi Hapū Trust have sent out invitations for a karakia to be held in light of the recent tragedy at Waikanae beach.

“We acknowledge those who are beyond the veil. We farewell those who passed and acknowledge the recent passing on Waikanae. Our collective role as kaitieki, is to return oranga to Waikanae, to the people of Tūranga – and to offer solace to the bereaved - whānau pain.

“In recognition of this, this afternoon, Thursday 26th January at 6pm, we will gather at Waikanae to karakia, protect, care for, and respect the area.

“Haere whakahauhia te rongopai i runga i te aroha me te ngawari. Move steadily, and consciously based on love and tranquillity.”

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Massive amounts of forestry debris had piled up on beaches, waterways, farms and homes on the East Coast after the latest storm.

More than 8500 people had signed a residents’ petition calling on local government and the Beehive to act on what is being called an “ecological disaster”.

“We are sick of seeing the carnage created by forestry slash [waste debris] in our awa and along the coast … after years of expensive litigation, it seems Gisborne District Council is still unable to set rules that protect the environment and it is impacting on our ability to live in our own lands,” said a spokesperson for petition organising group Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti.

The group, which includes farmers, horticulturalists, Māori landowners and conservation workers presented the petition to the district council at the meeting today.

Four days ago Gisborne District Council had advised residents on social media that the clean-up of Waikanae and Midway beaches was scheduled to start on Monday.

“The forestry industry will be clearing between 5am-9pm depending on tides and conditions. Please keep clear of the equipment while the machinery is operating.”

- Additional reporting: Gisborne Herald