Stars pay tribute to eruption heroes

Iremember the sick feeling in my stomach after we learned people were on Whakaari/White Island when it erupted in 2019. It was the year from hell, marred by the Nelson-Tasman fires in February, the Christchurch mosque shootings in March and then eventually the eruption in December.

I was working as a reporter at The New Zealand Herald in Auckland when the fatal explosive eruption took place at 2.11pm on December 9. My assignment was to drive to Whakatā ne that evening to cover the following days on the ground.

Tragically, some visitors and guides on the island at the time were killed and many were injured.

It didn’t take long for us to learn people were on the island. The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

The heroics of seven people who flew to the volcano in the aftermath of its violent eruption were this week recognised in the 2022 Special Honours List, the New Zealand Bravery Awards.

Mark Law, Kā hu NZ chief executive, was bestowed with the country’s second-highest bravery award next to the New Zealand Cross — the New Zealand Bravery Star. Six others were also recognised for their selfless heroism during the chaos of the tragedy.

There were 47 people on the island when it erupted but it was initially deemed too dangerous for air ambulances and rescue helicopters to land.

Law, a commercial helicopter pilot from Whakatā ne, was the first rescuer to arrive at the crater at 3.12pm.

The rescuers were forced to wade through shin-deep volcanic ash and acid gas caused great distress to their breathing but still, they worked hard to save as many people as they could.

Others were quick to follow Law’s lead and a dozen people were helicoptered off.

The definition of a hero is a person who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. It’s clear that Law and the others have those qualities.

Law says getting the star is “a little surreal”, having never thought about anything like that.

“The biggest realisation was that there were a lot of people in a tremendous disaster. We had to start and say, ‘let’s get in there and help them out’.”

I get the impression Law and the others don’t see themselves as heroes but as people just doing what anyone else would do.

The world can be a dangerous place. I’m glad there are still people willing to risk their own safety to help others in need.