Licensing 'no answer' to gorge drownings

Andy Bray, father of Natasha Bray. Photo / The Aucklander

A grieving parent from the Mangatepopo gorge drownings doubts a coroner's proposal for licensing of outdoor education centres would prevent similar tragedies.

Among 29 recommendations in his report on the deaths yesterday, coroner Christopher Devonport urged the Government to consider the licensing of outdoor education and adventure operations which serve people aged less than 18, "to ensure minimum standards are met".

His report heavily criticises the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre near Mt Tongariro in the central North Island, and some of its staff at the time of the tragedy in April 2008.

The centre was last year fined and ordered in the Auckland District Court to pay a total of $480,000 to victims' families over health and safety breaches.

Six teenagers and a teacher from Elim Christian College in Auckland died after they were washed over a weir, following a sudden flood in the Mangatepopo Stream gorge that was not generally foreseen at the centre, despite heavy rain.

The instructor and four students survived the trip upstream into the overhanging gorge, from which there were only two exits, only one of which was viable for the trapped group.

Natasha Bray, aged 16, managed to grab a rope thrown to her from the bank by the instructor, Jodie Sullivan, but lost her grip. Her body was recovered downstream.

Her father, Andy Bray, of Pakuranga, said yesterday that his family had a strong faith, but still cried a lot for their missing daughter and sister.

Mr Bray believes in the value of outdoor education but had strong words for the Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC).

"The coroner has articulated just how poorly OPC was running, even though it's had all these policies and was ... held up as the benchmark of outdoor adventure centres."

But Mr Bray doubted a licensing regime would rectify the "complacency" that had developed at OPC in 2008.

"It wouldn't make any difference. Who is going to monitor that? They passed an audit on the day the kids died. What did they have to do to fail?

"Why don't they send some mums and dads down there. That's better monitoring."

Coroner Devonport said the seven deaths could have been prevented.

He said the contributory factors included a lack of awareness of the likely effect of rain on the gorge, a failure to absorb historical flood data, an inexperienced instructor, a failure to assess the gorge properly before the trip, inadequate radio or other communication with the OPC base when in the gorge, failure to implement a crisis plan fast enough, underestimation of risks, and complacency.

He particularly criticised the absence of a detailed sketch map showing the gorge's refuges, hazards and radio dead points, and that the only map in use showed an escape point that was actually considered a trap.

OPC acting chief executive Rupert Wilson said last night that the gorge remained closed, but he expected the centre would resume using it later this year, "once we are satisfied we can fully respond to all those recommendations" from the coroner.

Clear map of gorge urged

Coroner Christopher Devonport wants an accurate map to be drawn of the Mangatepopo gorge.

It would highlight the safe places and exit points for Outdoor Pursuits Centre (OPC) instructors.

His other recommendations, to help avoid similar tragedies, include:

* Training OPC staff on the gorge's historical flooding patterns in response to rain in its catchment.

* Better OPC weather monitoring before gorge trips, by actively observing rainfall and by watching an internet "rain radar".

* Taking a conservative approach to starting gorge trips after steady or heavy rain.

* Providing a second instructor on gorge trips.

* Ensuring warnings are given on the risks of linking people in moving water - of the six people linked in pairs with slings, only two survived, one of whom was the instructor.

* Urging the MetService to review how it follows up forecasts after an error - a fax received by OPC on the day of the tragedy omitted the word "thunderstorms".