IR-01-26-13509
12 May 2026
Harwood Wilson
[FYI request #34501 email]
Dear Harwood
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request of 15 April 2026. You
requested information regarding
High Angle Rescue Calls:
Please provide the following information regarding high angle / lines rescue calls
during the period 1 March 2025 to 31 March 2026.
1. The number of calls received for such rescues (by region)
2. The details of calls in which police responded to these rescues, being data on
the locality for the incident, the time in which the call was received, time in which
the first police unit arrived and time in which the call was resulted or the last unit
departed (whichever occurred first)
3. The number of staff (by region) employed by Police who hold qualifications for
high angle or lines rescue.
4. Any police briefings, memo's or policy's around police attendance and
performance at such rescues
The below information has been collated in response to each part of your request.
1. The number of calls received for such rescues (by region)
A search of the SARdonyx database which houses reporting from all Search and Rescue
incidents has identified a total of eight Category 1 Police coordinated SAR events
nationally that have involved a technical rope, specialist rescue technique over the period
1 March 2025 - 31 March 2026.
The regional breakdown is as follows:
1 x Waikato Police District
2 x Wellington Police District
1 x Southern Police District
1 x Waitemata Police District
2 x Auckland City Police District
1 x Bay of Plenty Police District
2. The details of calls in which police responded to these rescues, being data on
the locality for the incident, the time in which the call was received, time in which
the first police unit arrived and time in which the call was resulted or the last unit
departed (whichever occurred first).
Please refer to the below table.
Time in
Time in
Time in
SAR
Responding
Location:
which the
which the
which the
category
Police District
Incident
call was
first police
call was
OR non-
location
received
unit arrived resulted
SAR
activity
type
22/01/2026 22/01/2026 23/01/2026
Category Waikato
Te Toto
20:57
21:21
17:18
1 SAR
District
gorge Raglan
18/01/2026 18/01/2026 18/01/2026
Category Waitematā
Takapuna
17:21
17:24
20:15
1 SAR
District
19/12/2025 19/12/2025 19/12/2025
Category Southern
Arthurs Point,
0:41
0:44
6:33
1 SAR
District
Queenstown
12/11/2025 12/11/2025 18/11/2025
Category Wellington
Birchville,
21:19
21:57
10:35
1 SAR
District
Upper Hutt
28/06/2025 28/06/2025 29/06/2025
Category Auckland City
Glendowie
21:17
21:18
0:57
1 SAR
District
21/06/2025 22/06/2025 23/06/2025
Category Bay of Plenty
Taupo
23:57
0:05
3:04
1 SAR
District
Lakefront
29/04/2025 29/04/2025 30/04/2025
Category Auckland City
Blind Bay,
18:50
18:50
7:05
1 SAR
District
Great Barrier
Island
5/05/2025 5/05/2025
8/05/2025
Category Wellington
Waipoua
13:03
13:18
18:09
1 SAR
District
River
(Reserve)
Masterton
3. The number of staff (by region) employed by Police who hold qualifications for
high angle or lines rescue.
We have identified eight qualified members within Police who are engaged in SAR squad
roles and could reasonably be called upon to support technical rope rescue / high angle
or line rescue. They are based in Tamaki Makaurau and Southland.
4. Any police briefings, memo's or policy's around police attendance and
performance at such rescues
Police does not hold briefings, memos or policies specifically relating to Police attendance
and performance at such rescues. Police operates in coordination with sector partners
and in line with the NZSAR operational framework. More information relating to the
NZSAR operational framework can be found here:
https://www.nzsar.govt.nz/assets/Downloadable-Files/Operational-Framework-for-the-
NZSRR-4th-Edition-August-2022-v2.pdf.
Please note that as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police
proactively release some information and documents that may be of interest to the public.
An anonymised version of this response may be publicly released on the New Zealand
Police website.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Yours sincerely
Superintendent Iain Chapman
Director - Deployment
New Zealand Police
