In a statement, Ryan Cavanagh, the CEO of forestry company Timberlands, called it a “tragic fatality”.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. I have been to the site and spoken to many of the people on-site,” he said.
“At this stage, what we know is a contractor was operating a long-reach excavator to clear a drain and the excavator became submerged.”
New Zealand Police and WorkSafe are on the scene, while specialist teams including the Serious Crash Unit, CIB, and the National Dive Squad are involved in the response and recovery.
Cavanagh said Timberlands’ priority is supporting the deceased’s family and cooperating with accident investigators.
“The health and safety of employees and contractors on all our sites has always been our highest priority, and we are devastated by this event,” he added.
“It is important we understand what has happened and what we or our third-party contractor partners can do to prevent this happening again.”
Second recent digger tragedy
It’s less than two weeks after another digger operator died when the machine he was operating tipped over in the Waimatā River near Gisborne.
Police, Fire and Emergency NZ, Hato Hone St John and the Trust Tairāwhiti rescue helicopter were called to the property about 20km up Waimatā Valley Rd.
“The excavator rolled, trapping the male operator inside the cab, which went underwater about 10m off the riverbank,” an emergency services spokesman said.
“The cab of the machine was completely submerged.”
The alarm was raised by other contractors who were there.
“Others at the scene swam out to the machine to try to free the driver, but they were unable to get him out,” the spokesman said.
A police inquiry is under way on behalf of the coroner.
