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Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Skipper was distracted by phone before grounding
The skipper of stricken fishing vessel Tamahine Teone Taiaroa is winched to safety last year. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery A skipper was distracted by his phone as he steamed towards catastrophe. Teone Martin Taiaroa, 62, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday and admitted his careless actions, which ultimately led to the boat sinking and the dramatic rescue of the bedraggled sailors by helicopter. Court documents reveal he failed to maintain proper lookout and use all means appropriate to determine if the risk of collision existed. The defendant had worked on fishing vessels since 1980 and was qualified to operate the boat, the fishing vessel Tamahine, which he had owned for about seven years. About 6.15am on June 4 last year, Taiaroa was operating his wooden commercial fishing vessel in Taiaroa Head. He had one crew member aboard, who was new to the job, and they left Dunedin heading towards the fishing grounds northeast of the the head. Once out of the shipping channel he set the boat's autopilot to North East, made a coffee and sat at the wheel of the boat reading a news article on his phone. The other crew member was also on his phone, the court heard. Taiaroa admitted grounding the fishing boat which sank off Taiaroa Head. Photo: staff photographer About nine minutes after setting the autopilot, Taiaroa realised the boat was heading south-east rather than its intended course. The vessel was caught in the swells and the defendant engaged manual steering but could not get away from the breakers. The Tamahine grounded just below the Royal Albatross Colony and began to take on water. Taiaroa launched the liferaft and a rescue helicopter was deployed to recover Taiaroa and his crew member. About six hours later, Tamahine sank. The defendant was taken to hospital where he was treated for hypothermia. Taiaroa said the grounding was caused by satellite-compass failure, causing the compass readings to be reversed. The defendant will be sentenced in December.
Otago Daily Times
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
New exhibition honours influential leader
An exhibition on a 19th-century Kāi Tahu leader is an opportunity to honour a man who contributed to the rich history of Ōtepoti and Ōtākou, organisers say. Rakatira [leader] and politician Hōri Kerei (H.K.) Taiaroa, who died on this day 120 years ago, is the subject of a Dunedin Public Art Galley exhibition, combining archive materials and taonga tuku iho [heirlooms] with new and existing contemporary art. Riki Te Mairaki Ellison Taiaroa Whānau Trust chairwoman Michelle Taiaroa said H.K. Taiaroa, also known as Huriwhenua, was a significant part of New Zealand's history during a period of time which shaped the country. "Just as significant is the magnificence of the man, in terms of his intellect, in terms of his selfless service," she said. H.K. Taiaroa was likely born at Ōtākou in the 1830s and was known for his tireless efforts as a Southern Māori Member of Parliament and on the Legislative Council. He was regarded as the godfather of Te Kerēme (the Ngāi Tahu Claim) and his records were key to settlement in 1998. Ms Taiaroa (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) was a descendant of H.K Taiaroa and said he was a prolific writer — his personal writings displayed in the exhibition included political speeches, records of iwi politics and his thoughts on an archaeological site near Lake Ellesmere. He advocated for the borough council of the day to fund road works towards Taiaroa Head — "I think 'oh good God, we're still fighting to get one corner [of the road] funded," Ms Taiaroa said. "In a great sense we have come a long way, and in another sense, we're still having the same arguments around basic life-force stuff, water, environment. "Without these things, we don't exist well." She hoped the exhibition could show the wider community Dunedin's history went beyond being simply a Scottish city. "The tapestry's deeper than what we have — in a good way." The exhibition was a collaboration between the trust, Dunedin Public Art Galley and Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou. Ōtākou upoko Edward Ellison (Kai Tahu) said the exhibition was in honour of H.K Taiaroa's work to bring justice to his people. "Back then, it must have been a lonely, often, experience — we think it's important here for the city, in Dunedin, in the region, to have the opportunity to learn and understand." Since the claim settlement, the rūnaka had opportunity to use stories and art — such as the exhibit on H.K. Taiaroa — to bring "our history, our people to life again in the region", Mr Ellison said. "It builds that pathway and I think it will hopefully be stronger for our future generations in the future to stand tall." — "H.K. Taiaroa: 'Kua marara hoki ngā mana o tōna kaha ki runga i te katoa"' runs from today until November 23 at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Otago Daily Times
13-06-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
School becomes shearing shed
Taiaroa McDonald's classmates have made sure he does not stick out by getting the same haircut as him after the 17-year-old was diagnosed with cancer. The King's High School first XV halfback was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in March, and is in the midst of his chemotherapy. His best friend and team captain Charlie Heller, 18, organised for the team to shave off their hair and fundraise for this year's Shave for a Cure effort. About 70 boys from King's ended up joining the effort at lunchtime yesterday. Taiaroa said he began noticing symptoms during his preseason training earlier this year. "That was pretty shocking for me," he said. "It caught me quite off guard because I wasn't really expecting to hear that [the diagnosis]." Rugby quickly became secondary for him and he had to prioritise his health. "It'd be great to be playing rugby this year, but next year I'll be playing anyway." Taiaroa was keeping a strong mindset by considering others less fortunate than him. "There's always someone in a worse position. "Some people are in stage four, I'm only in stage two. "My circumstances aren't exactly good, but I'm still able to get out and go to the gym and enjoy my life still." He said he was living a relatively normal life and was reacting to the therapy well. He still trained with his first XV team-mates and would be filling up water bottles at the games. Taiaroa said he had taken on the role of "technical adviser". "I pretty much do everything except for when Saturday comes around. " I don't walk out on to the field with the boys, which is tough. "I'd really like to think that I would have had a big season not just with King's, but for myself this year, but I'm still behind the boys all the way and I reckon they'll do well." Charlie said it was pretty gutting for him to hear what his friend was going through and he wanted to help. "It's pretty easy when you have a great mate like Tai just to get behind him and with a good bunch of boys we can support him and make him feel a bit better during his tough times." He said having the same haircut would bring the team a lot closer together. It was motivating to know that Taiaroa was on the sidelines when they were having a tough time on the field. The team had fundraised $5117 so far and the money raised would go towards finding a cure for Hodgkin's lymphoma. • Donations could be made using the following link:
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Charges brought against skipper of fishing boat
Fishing vessel Tamahine rocks in the waves at Taiaroa Head, at the tip of Otago Peninsula. It broke up on the rocks, and now its skipper has been charged in relation to its sinking. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery The skipper of a boat that broke up on the rocks below Dunedin's albatross centre a year ago is facing two charges. A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said yesterday the government agency had completed its investigation into the June 2024 grounding and sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Tamahine at Taiaroa Heads. "We have filed two charges under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 (s65 and s71) against one person as a result of the investigation." The charges — a failure to comply with duties in relation to maritime activity and dangerous activity involving ships or maritime products — could result in hefty fines or even imprisonment. A Ministry of Justice staff member said the skipper, Teone Taiaroa, would next appear in court on July 3. Mr Taiaroa and a crew member were airlifted to safety in what was described at the time as a textbook rescue. He was winched to safety after the 14m Tamahine ran aground and was rocking in the swell below the Royal Albatross Centre on Otago Peninsula about 6.45am on June 4 last year. The coastguard and nearby fishing vessels were already on the scene when the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter team arrived to winch down two Dunedin Marine Search and Rescue rescue swimmers. The first rescue swimmer went to Mr Taiaroa, who had remained aboard the boat as it was becoming overwhelmed by waves. The second rescuer went to the crew member who had become stranded on nearby rocks. The rescuer established the crew member was safe and returned to the boat to assist. The two rescuers moved the skipper off the boat before he and one of the rescuers were winched up to safety. Mr Taiaroa was taken to Dunedin Hospital in a moderate condition, and the crew member was assessed and treated at the scene. A Givealittle page set up in the days following the incident noted Mr Taiaroa came from a family with a long history on the peninsula and that was "very well respected" in the community. The boat was launched in 1960, it said.
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Tug sent abroad to make way for new boat
For more than two decades the tug boat Otago has been a familiar sight, plying the Otago Harbour channel with large ships in tow. But next week it will be given a fond wave by Port Otago staff as it is hitched to the stern of a ship and towed across the Tasman to Sydney. Port Otago marine and infrastructure general manager Grant Bicknell said it had been sold to an Australian commercial marine towage service and would eventually be based in Cairns. All of its windows have been boarded up to handle big-sea conditions and it was expected to depart on Wednesday. He said Otago was sold so the port could buy a new $15 million 70-tonne Damen ASD 2312 tug. The purchase is part of Port Otago's strategy to be New Zealand's "always open" port, capable of handling the biggest ships visiting the country. Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said the new tug was a key piece of infrastructure that would allow the port to be big-ship capable. "We already have the three other essential components in place — the multi-purpose wharf, at 430m long and a berth depth of 14m; consent to deepen the Lower Harbour channel to 15m and a new state-of-the-art dredge on order. "By January 2026 we will also have the tug fleet we need — that is a fleet capable of handling container vessels up to 10,000TEU and larger bulk ships. "It's also relevant that these bigger vessels have lower carbon footprints per container movement." It would join the tug Taiaroa (a Damen 70-tonne bollard pull) and tug Arihi (a 30-tonne bollard pull). Mr Bicknell said to manoeuvre a 10,000TEU container vessel in the swing basin and on to the Multipurpose Wharf required two 70-tonne bollard-pull tugs. Alongside the capability advantages, the upgrade also reduced the tug fleet's maintenance risk and provided a better carbon outcome, he said. "The Damen tug's modern Euro 6 diesel engine uses two-thirds as much fuel as the 21-year-old Otago. "It has excellent manoeuvrability because of its compact shape, patented Twin Fin skeg configuration and twin Azimuth thrusters." He said the single winch design was another feature that had both operation and safety benefits. "Older tugs have two winches — one for fore and one for aft — but the Damen ASD 2312 has only one centrally-placed winch that's integrated into the tug's superstructure. "The central positioning means that the winch is capable of towing over the bow and over the stern. "As a result, the deck is more spacious, free of clutter and safer." The new tug is under construction in the Damen Changde shipyard in China and is expected to arrive early next year.
