A person has died at Tūroa ski field (File photo) Photo: 123RF
A man has died after a skiing incident at Mount Ruapehu's Tūroa Ski field.
Emergency services were called to the scene at about 1pm Thursday, but the skier died at the scene.
Pure Tūroa said the death occured after an off trail slide and that given the man was from overseas there was a delay in notifying next of kin.
"We chose to respect the request not to comment and have just now received confirmation that we can release a statement."
The company said it will work closely with the appropriate authorities and gave its sincere appreciation to St John and the Greenlea Helicopter Rescue who assisted its team yesterday.
"Our deepest condolences are with the family and friends."
The death has been referred to the coroner.
WorkSafe said it has been notified and will be making initial enquiries.
Rāhui in place
A rāhui will be in place on the ski field till 3pm on Sunday.
"The principle of rāhui reflects our tangata whenua ancestral relationship with Mount Ruapehu," Ngāti Rangi said in a statement.
"The rāhui acknowledges the sacredness of our maunga; the sacredness of the loss of life and acknowledges the family's loss.
"This is done by pausing operations to allow quiet time for our maunga to heal these spaces; to uplift the spirt of the deceased and restore the elements to make it safe for visitors to return."
The Department of Conservation, which administered the area as part of Tongariro National Park, called it a "tragic loss of life".