Partner’s anguish over ruling
Coroner’s report says council should have provided better signs at beach
The partner of a soldier who died at a Far North beach trying to rescue children swept out to sea is heartbroken to learn the tragedy could have been prevented.
Wairongoa Renata, 54, better known as Magoo or Tickety-Boo, drowned at Cable Bay in January 2018 after swimming out to help his daughter, then aged 11, and other children in distress.
A report by Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale last week criticised the Far North District Council’s “complacent approach” for not having signs at the beach warning of its dangers or flotation devices if people did get into trouble. The council is now putting up warning signs at the beach.
Renata’s partner, Leigh Albert, said it was “highly distressing” to discover that signs had once been installed at the beach but were removed at some point.
The council’s complacency had failed her partner and their children, she said.
“Although it’s encouraging to know that this beach is going to have warning signs erected, I encourage the council to take their responsibilities seriously ...
“I do acknowledge that if drownings are to be prevented, it’s going to take an all-agency approach. Community groups, district councils, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and charitable organisations like Operation Flotation will need a co-ordinated approach, to ensure no other whānau has to deal with this kind of heartache again,” she said.
Albert, a sergeant in the New Zealand Army, praised the work of the charity Operation Flotation set up after her partner’s death.
The group had stepped into the vacuum left by the council by fundraising, buying and installing flotation devices at beaches around the upper North Island.
She felt “heartfelt appreciation” for founder Pat Millar and her “amazing team of volunteers”.
“My hope for the future is that Magoo’s legacy will serve to keep whānau safe. He served his
My hope for the future is that Magoo’s legacy will serve to keep whānau safe. He served his country, his community and in his last, he served his whānau.
Leigh Albert
country, his community and in his last, he served his whānau,” she said.
“This is a goal that we should strive to achieve — service for the betterment of others. We should not allow one more preventable death.”
Meanwhile, the Far North District Council says signs will be erected by the end of the month at popular beaches in Doubtless Bay, in line with the coroner’s recommendations.
Signs at Cable Bay Reserve and Little Cable Bay would alert visitors to variable conditions, chief executive Shaun Clarke said.
Signs would also be erected at Coopers Beach and Taipā while extra information highlighting dangers would be added to existing signs at those and other beaches.
In her report, Coroner Borrowdale ruled that Renata’s death may have been prevented if the family had understood the hazards present at Cable Bay, in which case they may have decided not to swim, to stay close to shore or take a flotation device.
Despite its usually benign appearance, Cable Bay was prone to sudden changes in water depth close to shore, dumping waves, rips and currents, a report by Surf Lifesaving NZ said.