Dear New Zealand Police,

Paragraph 6.3.2 of the NZ SAR Operational Framework (4th Edition 2022) states that “Unless otherwise required for by international requirements, SAR operations will be coordinated using the CIMS Framework”.

The TAIC report on the capsize of the i-Catcher off Kaikoura advises that “Each Police region had a SAR Squad with specially trained Police officers (SAR members). SAR members were on a rotational on-call roster to provide 24/7 assistance with the coordination of SAROPs within their region”.

Under the provisions of the Information Act I seek the following information relating to the NZ Police’s responsibility for Cat 1 SAR incidents and the application of the NZ Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) to manage the response.

1. Of the 12 Police district in New Zealand, how many members of their SAR Squad have completed CIMS training and hold current CIMS qualifications?

2. For the 12 Police district in New Zealand, how many members of their SAR Squad have completed Incident Controller (IC) CIMS training and hold current IC qualifications that enable Police to meet the requirements of 6.3.2?

3. What CIMS qualifications did the Police personnel who responded to and/or were involved in the management of the i-Catcher capsize hold at the time of that incident?

4. Was CIMS implemented by NZ Police to manage the response to the i-Catcher capsize?

Yours faithfully,

Alan Thompson