'He saved her life and sacrificed his own' - Dad drowned saving his niece at South Taranaki beach

The girls swept out to sea were taken to hospital. Photo / File

A man who died saving his young niece and two daughters from drowning at a South Taranaki beach yesterday has been named by police.

Kris Wichman, 36, was playing with young family members at the Patea River mouth on Friday afternoon when a ball was kicked across the river.

Mr Wichman, an experienced surfer and fisherman from Otaki Beach, swam to retrieve it.

He did not see that his seven-year old niece and his two daughters , aged 10 and 11, had followed him into the water.

The girls soon got into difficulties in the strong current. Mr Wichman grabbed his niece, and managed to usher his daughters back to the safety of shore.

But currents swept Mr Wichman and his niece up to 2km south towards the Whenuakura River.

The girl managed to swim to shore but Mr Wichman got into difficulty in the surf.

"Somehow he ended up on the shoreline and the local volunteer fire brigade located him," said Senior Sergeant Thomas McIntyre, who coordinated the rescue response.

"He saved her life and sacrificed his own life."

Mr Wichman died despite efforts to revive him.

Sergeant McIntyre said initial reports were confused about just how many people were in trouble.

"When you're dealing with people in the water, you put a lot of resources into the operation until you can confirm that no one is in the water," he said.

The search and rescue operation involved police, volunteer firefighters, coastguard, surf lifesavers and the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter.

Helicopter pilot Mike Parker said he had continued to search of the beach and the surrounding water after Mr Wichman and the girls were found.

"They were still worried about other people still being in the water," he said.

St John's said two young girls were taken to Taranaki Hospital's emergency department with minor to moderate injuries.

It is believed that some of the group were on holiday in the area. "The whole family has had a tragic time during this New Year holiday period," Sergeant McIntyre said.

The tragedy highlighted the dangers of the western coastline, he said. "It's very exposed, with big swells and rips, and it can be unpredictable at times. It's a dangerous place."