Nelson’s Harbours team has completed two days of training in personal watercraft (jet ski) operations with Mark Haimona, a water safety educator who has worked in Māori drowning prevention for close to two decades.
The training focused on safe and effective operational use, with the team also worked through scenarios designed to test the limits of both craft and crew. The sessions were held in 12°C water, representing the conditions they may be asked to operate in when responding to an incident.
Haimona travelled from Raglan for the training. He was named Water Safety New Zealand’s Māori Water Safety Project Manager in 2008 and currently coordinates Ka Hura Tangata ki Tai, a school based water safety programme delivered in Whāingaroa through Aotearoa Water Patrol in partnership with Waikato Regional Council. Learn more: https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/story-hub/pukenga-wai-pukenga-waiora/
Nelson’s Harbours team, led by harbourmaster Stuart Whitehouse, operates a rescue jetski alongside its crewed harbourmaster vessel Haumoana. The more nimble jetski was added to the fleet to cover shallow water jobs and single crew callouts the larger vessel cannot easily reach.
The team thanked Haimona for making the trip south and for the time invested over the two days.
