Lake Taupō. Photo: RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
A boy with no lifejacket spent an hour swimming away from his burning boat on Lake Taupō while rescue helicopter calls were delayed by police, RNZ has learned.
Once they did get in the air in the Sunday evening rescue, the crew quickly spotted the 14-year-old boy a kilometre from the burning boat and threw him a life ring.
RNZ inquiries show the chopper was told it was not needed at just after 7pm, but then that was reversed 20 minutes later.
The boy, who had been alone on the boat, was rescued an hour after the alarm had been raised with police at 6.46pm.
Police's initial statement on Monday said the "boatie" - no age given - was "lucky to survive".
The boy was fine after the incident.
RNZ made inquiries after becoming aware of questions being asked locally about how long it took the chopper to get there.
A well-placed source was asked by RNZ if the boy was in the water longer than need be and said, "Yes, absolutely."
The chopper could have been there "a lot sooner ... It was a delay".
Police released timestamps on Wednesday, one of which said they confirmed the boy was missing at 7.19pm.
They provided little comment to a series of RNZ questions.
Kinloch residents called Fire and Emergency at 6.46pm, and FENZ alerted the police, Coastguard and Harbourmaster.
Police at 6.49pm called the national airdesk run by Hone Hato St John that despatches rescue choppers.
St John alerted the chopper operator, telling them they might need specialist water rescue capability.
Operator Search & Rescue Services confirmed they could respond but that they were "not yet tasked with the incident", St John airdesk manager Duncan Christie told RNZ on Wednesday.
'Person unaccounted for'
The chopper crew prepared to respond, including a specialist water rescue member who could be winched down to get the person out of the water.
RNZ understands the specialist then went home when the team was stood down.
"At 7.04 pm Hato Hone St John was advised by police that a helicopter was not required at that stage, and a marine response coordinated by police was underway," Christie said.
"At 7.25pm police requested a helicopter to assist with search and rescue, as they had determined there was a person unaccounted for."
Police on Monday said a FENZ crew arrived at the boat when it was fully on fire and "discovered that the sole occupant of the boat was missing".
However, FENZ told RNZ on Wednesday it reached the boat at 7.21pm.
At that stage it requested "further police assistance".
"It was reported three boats were searching for the missing person," FENZ said.
Police did not say on Monday that it was a teenage boy alone on the boat.
The timestamps they put out on Wednesday showed police Search and Rescue or SAR, who make the decisions to call in choppers, was alerted at 6.53pm, and the duty sergeant "began driving to Kinloch".
"The Taupō Police on-call SAR officer advised Police Comms that an air ambulance was not required by police at that time, based on the information that had been received," said a timestamp at 7.04pm.
"However other agencies could have requested an air ambulance if it was necessary for their purposes."
'Crew were told they were not required'
Search & Rescue Services clinical operations manager Graeme Harvey told RNZ on Wednesday their crew "responded immediately upon being formally tasked ... at around 7.30pm".
"The initial gap in timing was due to our crew being advised by the Air Desk, that the lead response agency (Police) had determined a helicopter was not required during the early phase of the incident," Harvey said.
"We had originally initiated our water rescue response capability; however, the crew were told they were not required by Police shortly after 7pm."
Called back in, the chopper team took off around 7.30pm for the short flight to Whangamatā Bay and was over the burning boat around 7.40pm, ahead of the Coastguard boat.
The chopper spotted the boy quickly and he was taken aboard the Coastguard boat at 7.47pm according to FENZ.
Some nearby boats had not spotted him earlier. At Kinloch, a helicopter medic determined the boy did not need to go to hospital.
The boat ended up burned out. It is not clear how it caught fire.
Harvey said they would not have needed to winch the boy up.
"The patient was assessed as conscious, capable and active."
'Found in time'
Police on Wednesday told RNZ it was "incredibly frustrating for police given the bylaw restrictions on people under 15 driving boats".
On Monday in a statement to all media police said the boatie "had been swimming in the water for over an hour without a lifejacket".
They quoted the local iwi saying, "We're thankful this incident ended with the boatie being found in time."
Police had also called in a second helicopter company. Helicopter Services (BOP) confirmed to RNZ it played a part but not in what way, and referred further questions to the police.
A 7.18pm timestamp said they contacted a local rescue helicopter pilot "(not via AirDesk) in the event a helicopter was needed for the Search and Rescue operation".
RNZ asked for FENZ's call-log but it said that must be requested under the Official Information Act.
Coastguard Lake Taupō was alerted by police just before 7pm and six volunteers headed out.
On Wednesday its president Jeff Benson said, "Working alongside multiple agencies and members of the public, our volunteers are proud to have played a role in bringing the boy home safely to his family."
St John said its initial call to the chopper was standard practice early on when information was limited to ensure "the lift-time of the helicopter is minimised if a response is required".
"Water and marine rescue incidents may require the air ambulance helicopter (AAH) to be configured with additional rescue equipment or call-in specific crew members."
Callout problems
RNZ reported last week that in January this year police refused a chopper to take a FENZ lines team from Hamilton to Coromandel Peninsula to rescue a teenage girl trapped on a cliff face after her friend had fallen to his death.
The FENZ team had to drive.
The police said no because of the cost - later telling RNZ that was because they failed to ask enough questions and thought the girl had died, too.
Emails showed firefighters in Auckland and Hamilton had in recent months discussed what they called recurrent problems getting their lines rescue teams involved quickly in emergencies or picked up by air ambulance helicopters.
Timeline of information
6.46pm - FENZ alerted to a fire in a boat off Kinloch and contact police, Coastguard and harbourmaster.
6.49pm - Police SAR call Hone Hato St John airdesk.
6.54pm - Airdesk calls Taupō rescue chopper about a 'potential' incident to confirm if equipped for water rescue; told yes.
7.04pm - Police tell St John no chopper needed.
7.19pm - Police timestamp shows police confirm boy is missing.
7.21pm - FENZ crew reaches burning boat.
7.25pm - Police tell St John chopper is needed.
About 7.30pm - Chopper takes off, spots boy after 7.40pm.
7.47pm - Boy rescued.
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