Police named the man who died in a paragliding crash in Christchurch as James Peter Maaka, a firefighter with the New Zealand Defence Force. In a statement on the New Zealand Army Facebook page, Deputy chief of army Chris Parsons said Maaka "was a fine soldier, avid paraglider and his regiment knew him as a good bloke." Facebook / James Maaka
Police have released the name of the man who died in a paragliding crash on Summit Rd in Christchurch yesterday. He was James Peter Maaka, aged 25, from Christchurch.
It is understood Maaka is a firefighter with the New Zealand Defence Force.
Police have released the name of the man killed in a paraglider crash in Christchurch yesterday as Burnham-based NZDF soldier and firefighter James Maaka. Photo / Facebook
Maaka died after crashing into a roadbarrier near the Christchurch gondola summit on the Port Hills.
Deputy chief of army Chris Parsons released a statement about Maaka, saying he acknowledged his passing with "profound sadness".
In a statement on the New Zealand Army Facebook page, Parson said Maaka came from a "strong military family".
"He was a fine soldier, avid paraglider and his regiment knew him as a good bloke. James started his career in 2/1 RNZIR - deploying as part of Op Koru in Timor, and Op Rata2 in the Solomon Islands. In 2013, he changed trades, and joined 2 Engineer Regiment - most recently based in Burnham.
"During his Service, James was awarded the NZ General Service Medal, the NZ Operational Service Medal, the Timor-Leste Solidarity Medal, the NZ Defence Service Medal and the NZ General Service Medal (Solomon Islands).
"It is always tough when we lose one of our own. I know his unit have been deeply affected by his loss, and many of you may have worked alongside James during his career. My thoughts, and those of the rest of Army leadership, are with his family, friends and colleagues. We mourn the loss of a comrade and a mate to many."
Emergency services were called to the scene of the paragliding crash around 11.40am, police said.
James Peter Maaka. Photo / via Facebook
James Peter Maaka. Photo / via Facebook
Fire communications shift manager Ian Littlejohn said an emergency call came in shortly before noon.
"We received a call for assistance from the ambulance service. Two reports of a paraglider [going] into a barrier on the Summit Rd."
The incident happened near the gondola top house, he said. Crews responded from Woolston Station, and were on the scene by 12.30pm.
No one else was involved in the incident, which will now be referred to relevant authorities.
Dan Campbell, president of the NZ Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association's Canterbury club said yesterday that the man who had died was a full club member.
"That in itself implies he was a qualified pilot," Campbell told the Herald.
The area where the man crashed was a popular spot for paragliders and one which was regularly used, Campbell said.
He didn't want to comment on the conditions as he hadn't been to the Port Hills, but said "any flying site on the wrong day can be dangerous".
Details about the exact location of the crash were sketchy at the moment, Campbell said.
Campbell was told the man was a club member by the Canterbury chapter's safety officer.
Staff at the shops and cafe at the top of the Christchurch Gondola said they had not seen or heard anything about the incident.
MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said there were no weather stations on the Port Hills but surrounding stations showed low winds of about 10 km/h or less in the area, which was "quite calm".
"It's not particularly windy in that part of the country, in fact, it's a fairly light northeasterly."
There had been some cloud hanging over Christchurch city but it was not low-lying and the day had by no means been overcast, Hines said.
Tributes for Maaka have flooded in on the New Zealand Army Facebook page.
