Coroner takes aim at council over death
Council ‘complacent’ over lack of warning signs
he Far North District Council has been criticised for the lack of safety warnings or flotation devices at Cable Bay, where 54-year-old Palmerston North man Wairongoa Clarence Renata died on January 2, 2018.
Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale found that Renata’s death may have been prevented if his family had apprehended the hazards present, in that they might have decided not to swim, to stay close to the shore or to use a flotation device.
She made several recommendations, and criticised the council for being “complacent”, including not having signs at the beach warning of its potential dangers or flotation devices if people did get into trouble.
Renata was at the beach with his children and others on January 2, 2018. When the children got into trouble in a rip he went into the water in an attempt to help them, calling for help as he did so: “Somebody save my children, help, help.”
Evidence to the inquest included a reference by family to the effect that Renata was not, to their knowledge, a strong swimmer.
He subsequently got into difficulty. He was seen towards the north end of the bay, about 75m from shore, calling for help. He sank beneath the water before a rescuer could reach him, and died, despite the best efforts of an ambulance crew.
His 11-year-old daughter was also pulled from the sea in a serious condition, and taken to hospital, where she recovered.
Nick Mulcahy, aquatic risk manager of Surf Lifesaving New Zealand, said Cable Bay was capable of representing a hazard to members of the public. It was classified as a wavedominated reflective beach, and as such was prone to sudden changes in water depth close to the shore, dumping waves, rips and currents.
The combination of waves, an incoming tide, rip currents and sudden changes in water depth posed considerable risks on the day Renata died.
Flotation devices would have made the Renata family more “resilient to these hazard factors”, as was borne out by their rescuers being able to reach and assist them by using body boards and paddleboards. There were no apparent risk mitigations in place at that time.
“I have made enquiry of the Far North District Council, and it remains the case today that no water safety signage is in place at Cable Bay,” Borrowdale said.
“In a response to my inquiry, the council stated that: ‘Signage advising