The New Zealand Bravery Medal, NZBM, Part 3, Mc to Y,
Instituted in 1999 as part of a move by the Government to
Replace British awards for bravery with distinctively
New Zealand awards.
This award replaced
Commendation for Brave Conduct, and the
Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.
Awarded for
“acts of bravery”
NZBM
Mrs Jan Yvonne McCREA 23 October 1999
[See Citation under Mrs Tracey Lee-Anne CHAPMAN]
Christopher Steven McDOWELL 1 August 2016
Constable NZP
Citation
On 27 July 2014 Constable Chris McDowell attended a family violence callout to a house in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe along with two other Police officers.
A woman met the Police officers outside the property and stated that her husband was inside armed with a knife and was threatening self-harm, having earlier threatened to kill her with the knife.
One of the officers observed the man through an open window and told him to drop his knives, to which the man responded by beginning to cut his wrist with a large kitchen knife.
Constable McDowell then broke a glass panel to bypass the locked front door and the three Police officers entered the house, finding the man sitting on a couch with two knives.
McDowell and a second officer aimed their tasers at the man and instructed him to drop the knives.
When this was ignored McDowell fired his taser, which had no effect in subduing the man.
A second shot from McDowell’s taser also had no effect.
The man then stood and charged at the Police officers with both knives outstretched.
The Police officers became separated as they attempted to back out of the room.
Constable McDowell was cornered by the man in the kitchen, who stabbed him in the stomach with the larger knife, which was stopped by stab-resistant body armour.
As the man tried to stab McDowell in the neck with the smaller knife, the second Police officer grabbed the man from behind while he still had both knives, and wrestled him to the floor.
After a violent struggle, the three Police officers were able to disarm and arrest the man.
Ross William McEWAN 23 October 1999
Citation
On 22 January 1991 Mr Troon and Mr McEwan, employees of the Alliance Freezing Company, were alerted by a Sub-foreman that two contractors were in real trouble in a stickwater tank at the Alliance Rendering Plant at Kaiapoi.
Both men were very experienced at rescue work.
The contractors, a father and son, were cleaning the tank when they were overcome by lack of oxygen and toxic fumes.
Mr Troon and Mr McEwan entered the tank and did their very best to lift the men through the manhole opening in the hope that they might be resuscitated.
Their efforts were unsuccessful and the men died.
Both Mr Troon and Mr McEwan were admitted to hospital for observation following the incident.
John Joseph McNAMEE 23 October 1999
Citation
Mr McNamee, an employee of Alpine Guides Ltd, was guiding one of two groups on 11 July 1997 when he and four skiers in his party were buried in an avalanche five kilometres from Mt Cook, in the Southern Alps.
Mr McNamee managed to free his pack, get his shovel out and then dig himself out in a very short period of time.
With a quick scan of the area, he spotted visual signs of two of his skiers who were completely buried except that each had a hand visible.
The priority was to free these skiers to the extent that they had clear airways and could breathe.
Once this was accomplished, he located the other two skiers, one of whom had stopped breathing.
Mr McNamee administered CPR by which time four other guides, who had been working nearby, had been summoned by Mr McNamee when the avalanches first started, had arrived and they were followed by other rescue personnel.
All those buried by the avalanches were suffering to some extent from hypothermia and with the possibility of undetected injuries, it was decided to fly three of the skiers to Christchurch Hospital.
All were released the next day.
There is no doubt that if Mr McNamee had not managed to free himself and the others in such a short period, there would have been multiple fatalities.
Johan Artemus MULDER 2 December 2
Constable NZP
[See Citation under Gregory Edward Ross CARTER]
Hamish Everett NEAL 29 January 2005
[Deceased]
Citation:
On 10 February 2000, Mr Hamish Neal, aged 15 years, was on a school trip to the Waihao River. While swimming in the river at a point known as the "Black Hole", a fellow student got into trouble and sank beneath the surface.
Mr Neal swam over to him and attempted to pull him to safety.
Mr Neal was unsuccessful in the attempt and was instead pulled down with him and both students drowned.
Both students were members of a special class for children with varying degrees of learning and behavioural difficulty at Waimate High School.
Thomas Deane O’CONNOR 1 August 2016
Constable NZP
Citation
On the evening of 12 August 2013, shortly after 6 pm, a vehicle travelling on the Maungatapu Causeway Bridge towards Mount Maunganui crossed the centreline and into the path of an oncoming van.
The van and its two occupants spun into the railing of the bridge, crashing through it and dropping five metres into the Tauranga Harbour.
The van then sank rapidly to the harbour floor with both occupants in the vehicle.
The driver was trapped in the van and did not survive.
The passenger managed to force his way out and was floundering in the water, where there was a relatively strong incoming tidal flow that was taking him away from the bridge further into the harbour.
Constable Dean O’Connor was the first Police unit to arrive at the scene.
He assessed the situation and stripped down to his underwear, jumped into the harbour, and swam out approximately 150 metres to the passenger who was extremely distressed and panicked.
Constable O’Connor grabbed the passenger and rolled him onto his back, supporting him on his chest and communicated with him to calm him down.
Constable O’Connor then towed the passenger, rescue fashion, for some 40 minutes in the dark to the opposite shoreline.
Both men suffered from hypothermia and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Constable O’Connor placed himself at risk to provide assistance to the passenger, who given the conditions would have been unlikely to rescue himself.
Conor Liam O’LEARY 2 April 2011
Citation
At 3.55 p.m. on 24 April 2009 Mr Conor O’Leary, aged 15 years, was a rear seat passenger in a car driven by his father, off-duty Inspector Michael O’Leary on State Highway One some 17km north of Taupo, when the vehicle in front of him, a Toyota van, collided head-on with a black sedan coming the opposite way.
The Toyota, which contained six people, flipped into the air, landed on its rear, and rolled four times before going off the road and down a grass embankment and bursting into flames.
As his father went to the aid of the victims, Conor controlled the traffic flow approaching the accident scene, before getting someone else to continue with this task and going to assist his father.
Seeing his father run towards the burning Toyota, Conor decided to help and followed him down the bank and over the wire fence.
By the time he arrived, his father had already rescued a child from the wreck and was taking him to a safe place in the nearby paddock.
As Conor looked at the burning Toyota, he could see a man moving inside, but he was unable to help due to the intense heat and flames.
When his father returned to the Toyota to attempt to rescue a second child, Conor went to assist.
Conor, his father and Mr Peter Booth tried to pull the child free of the vehicle.
All the time the child was yelling out ‘Help me, I’m burning’.
Eventually, Inspector O’Leary was able to cut away the seat belt holding the child inside the vehicle and pull him free.
Once the child was free and his clothes extinguished, Conor looked after him and tended his injuries until help arrived.
Having seen the trapped man inside the burning vehicle, and been beaten back by the heat and flames once already, Conor O’Leary put aside any fear he may have had and went to help his father rescue the second child.
In doing so he displayed levels of fortitude and bravery that are beyond those expected of a 15-year-old.
David Leonard O’LOUGHLIN 29 January 2005
Citation:
At about 1.15 p.m. on 11 July 2002, Mr O'Loughlin and a companion were in a vehicle driving in a southerly direction along State Highway One between Whakapara and Hukerenui.
Immediately in front of him was a vehicle containing two women.
Suddenly the women's vehicle veered to the left, careered over a metal guard barrier and off the side of a bridge.
The vehicle then travelled some distance in the swollen river before came to rest almost fully submerged.
Mr O'Loughlin immediately stopped and without regard for his own safety plunged into the water and managed to rescue one of the women from the sinking vehicle.
He swam her back to the safety of the riverbank and then returned to the then submerged vehicle to attempt to retrieve the other woman.
He made about five attempts, but was unsuccessful.
He and his companion then comforted the rescued woman until the Police and an ambulance arrived.
George Puturangi PAEKAU 1 August 2016
Citation
On the morning of 9 November 2014, a fire ignited in a house in the Hamilton suburb of Dinsdale.
The house was occupied by a mother and three of her four children, who were aged between 3 and 16 years, the oldest of whom was autistic.
Mr George Paekau was driving towards his home when he saw smoke billowing from what he thought was his property.
When he got closer he realised that it was from the neighbouring house belonging to his cousin.
With part of the house engulfed in flames, he joined other members of the public in attempting to locate the house’s occupants.
Mr Paekau and the others found a bedroom window ajar at the rear of the property.
They heard the voice of one of the children in the room, which was filled with heavy smoke.
Mr Paekau then grabbed a length of pipe and smashed the bedroom’s window.
Flames roared into the room, but some of the smoke also cleared.
Mr Paekau saw two of the children in the room, a younger child on the floor next to the window, and the older youth on the bed.
He leaned over the smashed window sill and picked up the child on the floor, passing him to the other men outside.
Mr Paekau then covered his face with a t-shirt and jumped into the room, where he shut the bedroom door, helping to slow the fire’s spread.
The room was still filled with thick smoke and intense heat.
One of the other men climbed just inside the window and sprayed a garden hose into the room.
Mr Paekau picked up the older youth from the bed, but he was too big to lift out of the broken window.
The other men outside the house then entered the room and four men together assisted the older youth through the window.
Mr Paekau was then assisted from the house through the broken window, at which point the Fire Service arrived and began searching for the mother and youngest child.
The mother was located and survived with serious injuries, but the 3-year old died at the scene.
Mr Paekau’s selfless actions and his initiative in closing the bedroom door to slow the spread of the fire allowed the men time to rescue the older youth.
Dion Wayne PALMER 14 October 2006
Staff Sgt RNZA Education Corp G54884
Citation
On the afternoon of 17 January 2004, Staff Sergeant Palmer and his family were visiting Himatangi Beach.
At about 2.30 p.m., he heard calls for help and saw a young boy and an adult male in difficulties about 50 metres off-shore and about one kilometre south of the flagged area of the beach.
Despite a strong undertow, and at considerable risk to himself, he swam about 150 metres before reaching the pair.
As both the man and the boy, who was 7 years old, appeared calm, Staff Sergeant Palmer took hold of the boy and began swimming with him back to shore, assuming that the man would follow.
Having safely reached the beach with the boy, he discovered that the man had disappeared among the large waves.
At this stage, local lifeguards appeared on the scene.
Although he was exhausted by his earlier swim in very difficult conditions, he assisted the lifeguards on their safety boat in an unsuccessful attempt to find the man.
A police investigation into the tragedy states that, had it not been for Staff Sergeant Palmer’s prompt action and in putting his own life at risk, two people would have lost their lives.
Simon James PAYTON 23 Jun2014
Snr Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
Senior Firefighter Simon Payton initially worked for about two hours up a ladder with a kango hammer to create access holes into the building.
Payton then moved to the rear of the building where he joined three other firefighters tunnelling to reach two women trapped beneath a balcony overhang.
The firefighters had to break through layers of concrete with hand tools and grinders before tunnelling through office equipment, furniture and debris to reach trapped victims.
The tunnel they created between the collapsed floors ranged from 30 to 70 centimetres high and did not allow for protective gear to be worn.
One woman was located around five metres inside the tunnel.
Payton moved into a void beside the woman to reassure her as another firefighter worked on clearing an access hole.
The woman was eventually extricated with crushed toes.
The team then located a second woman pinned to her chair by a concrete beam.
The legs were cut from her chair allowing her to be rescued.
After approximately four hours, Payton’s team was relieved by a second tunnelling team.
Simon Payton’s rescue efforts were carried out in unstable and confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Kerry Charles PALMER
[See Citation under Shaun Bruce CAMPBELL]
Liam PHAM 2 December 2013
Constable NZP
[See Citation under Gregory Edward Ross CARTER]
Richard Frank PLATT 23 June 2014
Snr Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
In order to enter the office space of the collapsed building, Senior Firefighter Richard Platt and other firefighters had to break through layers of concrete with hand tools and grinders before tunnelling through office equipment, furniture and debris to reach trapped victims.
Platt and a team of three other firefighters located two women trapped beneath a balcony overhang at the rear of the building.
The tunnel they created between the collapsed floors ranged from 30 to 70 centimetres high and did not allow for protective gear to be worn.
One woman was located around five metres inside the tunnel.
The firefighters were able to clear an access hole and extract her, with crushed toes.
The team then located a second woman pinned to her chair by a concrete beam.
The legs were cut from her chair allowing her to be rescued.
When he was not actively tunnelling Platt provided support to trapped persons nearby.
After approximately four hours, Platt’s team was relieved by a second tunnelling team.
Richard Platt’s tunnelling efforts were carried out in unstable and confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Dean William PLEYDELL 23 October 1999
Snr Constable NZP
Citation
On 23 September 1993, Constables Pleydell and Rice pursued a man in a motor vehicle who had just committed an armed robbery of a bank in Auckland City.
The offender abandoned his getaway vehicle and threatened two members of the public with a loaded pistol.
Fearing for the safety of these people the two unarmed constables approached the gunman and Constable Pleydell confronted him but, despite being knocked off balance by a moving Police vehicle, the gunman levelled his pistol at Constable Pleydell.
Fearing that the offender would shoot, Constable Rice tackled the man and was able to knock him to the ground, which gave both constables the opportunity of overpowering and subduing the offender.
Constable Rice’s actions almost certainly saved the life of Constable Pleydell and in doing so he assisted in the apprehension of one of the country’s most wanted criminals.
Mark Mattie POVEY 23 October 1999
Driver RNZA Corps of Transport [Rtd] E180715
Citation
On 17 September 1993, while travelling home from work, in the company of his sister, Driver Povey came upon a motor accident involving a motor vehicle and a motorcycle.
The motorcycle and driver were trapped under the vehicle and the motorcycle had exploded on impact.
Both vehicles were engulfed in flames and there was an imminent danger of either or both exploding.
Driver Povey quickly assessed the situation and sent his sister to a nearby house to alert the emergency services.
With complete disregard for his personal safety, Driver Povey then attempted to save the driver of the car.
The driver was trapped in the car with his leg on fire, but Driver Povey managed to free the trapped leg and drag him clear of the burning vehicles.
Unfortunately, and unknown to Driver Povey, the driver of the vehicle was already dead.
The rider of the motorcycle was not able to be recovered and remained under the wreckage where he was burnt beyond recognition.
Although Driver Povey was not able to save either of the two accident victims, he acted decisively displaying selfless courage and with complete disregard for his personal safety.
Floyd Steven PRATT 23 October 1999
Constable NZP
[see Citation under Peter Robert BROUGHTON]
Kenneth William REILLY
[See Citation under Mark John ALLEN]
Patrick Anthony RICE 23 October 1999
Constable NZP
[See Citation under Dean William PLEYDELL]
Dr. David Gwyther RICHARDS MstJ 1 August 2016
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the multi-storey CTV building.
A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts.
Dr David Richards had been treating casualties at a medical tent in Latimer Square before moving to the CTV building to provide onsite medical assistance to trapped survivors.
Firefighters had tunnelled into the fourth floor of the collapsed CTV building and located a group of trapped students.
Dr Richards was asked if he would enter the tunnel to assess the students’ injuries.
The tunnel had been cleared by Fire Service personnel, but was not wide enough to fit two people side by side and rescuers had to crawl on their stomachs in the tight space.
Smoke from the fire onsite was also present in the tunnel.
Dr Richards made a number of trips in and out of the tunnel, wearing only hospital scrubs, over the course of several hours to assess three of the trapped students and provide medication where needed.
During the efforts to extract the second student significant aftershocks saw Dr Richards and Fire Service personnel pulled from the tunnel by their feet on two occasions.
Dr Richards’ medical assistance aided in rescue efforts which were carried out in dense smoke from the fire and under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Daniel James ROCKHOUSE 31 December 2014
Citation
On 19 November 2010, a methane explosion occurred at Pike River Coal Mine, killing 29 miners working deep in the mine.
The explosion cut the electricity supply to the mine, shutting off lighting and ventilation systems.
The mine began to fill with smoke and carbon monoxide.
Daniel Rockhouse was driving a loader approximately 1,700 metres into the main drive of the mine when the explosion occurred and he was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious.
When he regained consciousness Mr Rockhouse put on his self-rescuer (breathing apparatus) and dragged himself to a nearby telephone.
He rang Service Control and spoke to the mine manager, who told him to make his way to the fresh air base (FAB) near the mine portal, and contact him again.
Mr Rockhouse started making his way to the FAB, following water pipes along the wall. He came across another miner, lying on the ground semi-conscious and disoriented.
He attempted to give the miner his self-rescuer, but he could not close his mouth around the unit.
Mr Rockhouse dragged him to the FAB, where they found the door open and the FAB full of carbon monoxide.
Mr Rockhouse continued to drag the miner towards the mine portal.
They were able to breathe some fresh air from compressed air lines along the way, and eventually, the miner’s condition improved enough to walk.
They then supported each other and hobbled out of the mine.
The rescue of the other man had taken Mr Rockhouse approximately two hours.
By the time he reached the mine exit, Mr Rockhouse was disoriented, and was suffering from the effects of smoke and gas inhalation.
Both men were taken to Greymouth Hospital where Mr Rockhouse was treated for smoke and gas inhalation, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Without Mr Rockhouse’s assistance, the other miner would have remained lying in the mine.
It is highly unlikely that he would have been able to rescue himself.
Mr Rockhouse’s determination to rescue him slowed down his own escape from the mine, through poisonous gas and smoke and constantly fearing further explosions.
Paul John RODWELL 23 June 2014
Stn Officer NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the six-storey Canterbury Television building.
A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts.
The fourth floor had been compressed to a space of approximately 60 centimetres high.
Tunnels were created into the fourth floor to gain access to a number of survivors trapped inside.
Station Officer Paul Rodwell worked with other firefighters in alternating tunnelling teams of two.
The firefighters were unable to use breathing apparatus or wear helmets due to the cramped conditions.
Debris had to be passed backwards along the bodies of the rescuers and down the tunnel as there was no room to turn around.
Firefighters were stationed at the tunnel entrance so that when there were significant aftershocks they could quickly pull the tunnellers out by their feet.
Eventually, the team of tunnellers, led by Rodwell, located a small group of students trapped under a beam.
Two bodies had to be removed before the students could be reached.
One student was trapped by her ankle and it took a long time to free her, but amputation was avoided.
A second student was trapped by his head, but was pulled from beneath the beam and extracted through the tunnel.
A third student could not immediately be freed and an amputation was carried out by a civilian doctor assisted by another team of firefighters.
Rodwell assisted in the extraction of the third student once the amputation was completed.
The rescue efforts of Paul Rodwell and his team were carried out in dense smoke from the fire and under the constant threat of aftershocks.
S/L Shaun Paul SEXTON 14 October 2006
RNZAF G997631
Citation
On the evening of 3 June 2004, Squadron Leader Sexton was captain of an Iroquois helicopter tasked to assist with the rescue of a Royal Australian Navy seaman, who had suffered serious spinal injuries after falling down a ravine on the Florida Islands, part of the Solomon Islands group.
Attempts by others to complete a rescue in daylight had been unsuccessful, but because of the critical nature of the seaman’s injuries and the inability to rescue him by land, Squadron Leader Sexton decided to make a further rescue attempt at night.
Despite having to negotiate darkness, low cloud and torrential rain, which forced him to turn back a number of times, he managed to reach the rescue party on the ground at a site beneath 65-metre trees on a plateau 200 metres above the coast.
After the crew had commenced winching a crewman down through a small clearing in the forest canopy, visibility reduced markedly when the aircraft rotors sucked down the thin layer of cloud from above.
This meant that the crew could see neither the ground, nor the crewman on the wire; only the treetops.
Despite only being able to determine the situation on the ground through radio transmissions, which were relayed by the co-pilot through HMAS Tarakani anchored nearby, Squadron Leader Sexton calmly directed the crew during the recovery.
While undertaking the recovery, he maintained the helicopter in a steady hover 75 metres above the rescue site, despite having very poor visual references, low cloud and rain, and while using night vision equipment.
During the course of this hazardous rescue, Squadron Leader Sexton also capably handled the loss of communications with the winch operator on two occasions.
In the face of the most trying conditions, and having acknowledged the risk that was required to effect the rescue, Squadron Leader Sexton then managed that risk most professionally.
His cool demeanour throughout the operation, despite the risk to himself and his crew, was pivotal to the success of his crew in recovering the injured seaman to the aircraft and subsequently to a medical facility.
Throughout this rescue mission, Squadron Leader Sexton demonstrated bravery as well as flying skills and leadership of the highest order.
Scott Martin SHADBOLT 23 June 2014
Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
Firefighter Scott Shadbolt was tasked with formulating an extraction plan for a man discovered trapped inside the building, in danger of bleeding to death with his legs crushed between a concrete pillar and a collapsed floor section.
Firefighter Shadbolt was assisted by a Police constable and two civilian doctors in performing a complete double amputation of the trapped man’s legs using a hacksaw and a penknife.
The man was anaesthetised with morphine and ketamine and tourniquets were applied to his legs.
The civilian doctor performing the amputation became fatigued and the hacksaw was passed between the Police officer, the second doctor and Firefighter Shadbolt, who was in a better position to complete the operation.
The man was placed in a tarpaulin and carried to waiting ambulance staff outside the building.
Firefighter Shadbolt then continued on to create further access holes into the building and assist with rescue efforts.
Scott Shadbolt performed an operation with no prior medical experience in unstable and confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks, resulting in the trapped man’s survival.
Kevin Albert SINGER 29 January 2005
[see Citation under Roger Terry BLUMHARDT]
Mark Charles SMITH 29 January 2005
Citation:
On 13 July 2001, Mr Smith was travelling to Christchurch on Highway 73 near Kirwee, when the vehicle in front, driven by a woman, hit a patch of ice and collided with a fully laden concrete truck.
The truck crushed the car and the woman was trapped inside it under the truck, with flames beginning to spread along the underside of the wreckage.
Mr Smith immediately stopped his car and went to her aid.
After some considerable difficulty, he was able to force open the door of the woman's car and free her from her seat belt.
All the time flames were licking around them.
The driver of the concrete truck then managed to back his vehicle off the wreckage of the car at which time its petrol tank exploded and the vehicle was incinerated.
Stephen James SMITH 2 April 2011
Advanced Paramedic St Johns
Citation
On the morning of 7 May 2009 Advanced Paramedic Stephen Smith was the St John Ambulance Service on-call Duty Manager for the Hawkes Bay area.
While attending a civil defence meeting, he was called to attend the incident at Chaucer Road South, Napier, and coordinated the deployment of St John resources, including two ambulances.
Having first provided immediate medical assistance to one wounded Police Officer, Mr Smith took up a position with the cordon at the northern junction of Chaucer Street South and Guys Hill Road.
While there, he was approached by the Police commander at that location and asked if he would assist with the retrieval of a wounded Police Officer who was located very close to the gunman’s known position and needed medical attention before being evacuated.
Mr Smith agreed and, having been fitted with a ballistic vest by one of the Police Officers and briefed on what to do if fired upon, he joined the evacuation team and began a steady walk down Chaucer Road towards the house where the casualty was located at No. 45.
The last few metres to the house were in the line of fire from the gunman’s last known position.
On arrival, Mr Smith immediately treated Senior Constable Grant Diver for a serious lower abdominal wound and prepared him for evacuation.
He realised that Senior Constable Diver required surgery as soon as possible if he was to survive.
Having placed him on a stretcher, the evacuation team began the walk back up Chaucer Road South to the Police cordon and the waiting ambulance, where Mr Smith was able to provide further treatment and comfort to Senior Constable Diver.
The ambulance, with Mr Smith on board, took Senior Constable Diver to a point where a helicopter was waiting to take the wounded officer to hospital.
Mr Smith did not have to accompany the evacuation party as it was not a requirement of his job to put himself in harm’s way.
He acted bravely by doing so, and ensured that urgently needed medical attention was made available to a seriously wounded Police Officer at the earliest possible moment, significantly increasing his chances of survival.
Steven David SMYLIE 23 June 2014
Snr Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
In order to enter the office space of the collapsed building, Senior Firefighter Steven Smylie and other firefighters had to break through layers of concrete with hand tools and grinders before tunnelling through office equipment, furniture and debris to reach trapped victims.
Smylie and a team of three other firefighters located two women trapped beneath a balcony overhang at the rear of the building.
The tunnel they created between the collapsed floors ranged from 30 to 70 centimetres high and did not allow for protective gear to be worn.
One woman was located around five metres inside the tunnel.
The firefighters were able to clear an access hole and extract her, with crushed toes.
The team then located a second woman pinned to her chair by a concrete beam.
The legs were cut from her chair allowing her to be rescued.
After approximately four hours, Smylie’s team was relieved by a second tunnelling team.
Steven Smylie’s tunnelling efforts were carried out in unstable and confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Caine Francis SPICK 29 January 2005
Citation:
On 18 April 2003, Mr Spick aged 15, his twin brother and a friend were fishing from the Tinopai Wharf in the Kaipara Harbour.
At about 2.00 p.m. that afternoon a young boy approached them and told them his friend, a 7-year-old boy, had fallen off the wharf and was drowning as he didn't know how to swim.
Mr Spick immediately jumped into the fast flowing out-going tide and managed to reach and hold on to the boy.
Mr Spick didn't let go, despite swallowing large quantities of water and being dragged under several times.
The two were washed some 300 metres downstream towards the Kaipara Heads and the Tasman Sea.
Meanwhile, Mr Spick's twin brother and the friend raced from the wharf to alert a fisherman they had seen earlier.
The fisherman went to the aid of Mr Spick and the boy, successfully recovering them from the water in his boat.
Cory John STEWART 23 June 2014
Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
Firefighter Cory Stewart carried out search and rescue efforts inside the second floor of the building with a fellow firefighter.
The space they searched was too confined for the firefighters to wear helmets or protective clothing.
Stewart made use of his building background to make sound judgements on which parts of the collapsed building were safe to move.
Stewart had heard two survivors call out near his location.
The first survivor located was an injured woman hemmed into a tight space around 50 centimetres high, four metres into the building.
The two firefighters shifted rubble out of the way allowing the woman to be rescued.
A second injured man was located pinned behind air-conditioning equipment and was freed using a hacksaw.
Stewart also tunnelled into different areas of the collapsed structure to try to establish access points.
He relayed this information back to the officer in charge who could direct resources accordingly.
The rescue efforts of Cory Stewart were carried out in unstable, confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks and falling masonry.
David Edward Whawhi STEWART 23 October 1999
Private RNZA Infantry Regiment
[Deceased] S53606
See Citation under Brendon Drew BURCHELL]
George Allan STEWART 3 May 2008
Snr Constable NZP
Citation
Senior Sergeant Allan Stewart was deployed as part of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste for a six month period between October 2006 and April of 2007, where he was the Sub District Commander of the Becora area as part of the United Nations Police (UNPOL).
He commanded 140 staff over one of the biggest sub-districts of Dili where the Metanaro Internally Displaced Persons Refugee Camp (IDP) was based that contained 7,000 refugees.
On 10 November 2006, a group led by a UN co-ordinator and six other UN employees were working at the Metanaro IDP Refugee Camp.
There was festering anger and unrest amongst the camp residents over perceived delays in the provision of rice and other food stocks from the UN Non Government Organisation (NGO), and after a heated exchange over the allocation of food and water with the camp management, the UN co-ordinator and the other UN employees were taken hostage by a large group of hostile, armed male residents.
When the employees tried to leave the camp by vehicle, a large crowd of young men physically threatened them with rocks and other weapons and seized the vehicle keys, telling the UN hostages that they could not leave until they (the refugees) had been given what they wanted.
The hostages attempted to seek help from the nearby local Timor-Leste Defence Force (FFDTL) Military Camp and although the F-FDTL soldiers came to assist them, the soldiers were unable to resolve the dispute or convince the offenders to release the hostages.
The hostages then requested UNPOL to be contacted.
Senior Sergeant Allan Stewart responded to the request from his headquarters in Dili and accompanied by a fellow Portuguese officer acting as his interpreter, he began a tense negotiation with the offenders and other IDP militants.
He entered the camp alone (with the interpreter) and was fully aware of the hostility the residents had towards UNPOL and that more assistance was some distance away.
He was also aware that the offenders were armed with a variety of weapons and a hostile crowd had formed.
After calming the tense atmosphere and checking on the status of the hostages, he began the negotiation for the release of the hostages.
He sat amongst the agitators for some 20 minutes listening to their concerns whilst at the same time advising them that their actions were unacceptable and that the hostages must be released.
Several times over this period, the crowd became agitated and aggressive and twice threatened to break off talks with Sergeant Allan Stewart.
On both occasions, he managed to calm the offenders down and finally arranged the return of the vehicle keys so the hostages could leave while he remained to hear the resident’s grievances.
No injuries resulted from this incident, but there was real potential for violence and attacks against the hostages, which was evidenced in the unrest which followed the next day.
Throughout this incident, Senior Sergeant Allan Stewart displayed tact and negotiation skills, which together with his bravery and professionalism secured the release of the hostages and prevented them from further injury or even death.
Anthony Wayne TAMAKEHU 23 June 2014
Citation
On 22 February 2011, Tony Tamakehu was near the Pyne Gould Corporation building in Christchurch when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck and the building collapsed.
Mr Tamakehu owns The Chainman, a supplier of specialist lifting and rigging equipment, and sub-contracts to Smith Crane and Construction.
Staff from Smith Crane and Construction brought cranes and other equipment suitable for concrete slab removal and the clearing of debris.
Concrete slabs were broken into pieces for removal and a large enough hole was created for Mr Tamakehu and other Smith Cranes staff to gain access to the collapsed building.
They used their expert knowledge of craneage to open up holes, progressively going down through the pancaked floors of the building.
As each level was opened, Mr Tamakehu crawled into the voids in the building and began systematically checking each floor for survivors, boring through debris, despite the threat of aftershocks.
He was able to locate and assist several people during a time-consuming search in tight, dark conditions.
Mr Tamakehu entered confined spaces in the Pyne Gould Corporation building without knowing whether they were stable and without thought for his personal safety.
He contributed to the location and rescue of several trapped people. He continued to offer assistance at the PGC and Canterbury Television buildings for several weeks following the earthquake, recovering bodies and performing other vital tasks.
Duncan TAYLOR 29 January 2005
[Deceased]
Citation:
At about 1.00 p.m. on 5 July 2002 Detective Constable Duncan Taylor and Detective Jeanette Park went to Taipo Road, Rongotea to warn a local family that a person known to them may have returned to the area.
While talking to the family they saw the person concerned drive past the house.
The two officers followed his vehicle, which then stopped.
As the Police officers got out of their vehicle the person drove off and returned to the Taipo Road address followed by the Police vehicle
Both vehicles stopped in the driveway of the Taipo Road house and as the two Police officers, who were unarmed, left their car, the male occupant of the other car presented a rifle at Detective Constable Taylor and, without warning, fired a single shot which killed him instantly.
Joan Diane TAYLOR 14 October 2006
Citation
On Saturday 12 November 2005 at 9.40 p.m., an 18-year-old woman was walking along a Nelson Street when she was dragged into a nearby vehicle by an offender.
Her screams alerted Joan Diane Taylor, aged 62, and her husband, who were inside their house nearby.
Mrs Taylor approached the car and demanded that the offender let the women go.
She was not put off by an explanation that the woman was injured and told the offender that the police and ambulance had been called.
She then repeated her demand that the offender let the woman go.
This distracted the offender and his victim was able to run from the car into the Taylor’s house, followed by Mr Taylor.
As Mrs Taylor turned to follow them she was attacked by the offender, who heard her telling her husband the licence plate number of his car, so as to pass it on to the police.
Mrs Taylor was struck on the back of the head, the blow causing her to collapse onto her driveway.
As she did so, she hit her head against the ground, splitting her head open.
The offender left the area on foot but was later apprehended when he returned to collect his car.
He has since been sentenced to four years and five months’ imprisonment for abduction, assault with intent to commit sexual violation and injuring with intent.
Found in his car at the time of the incident were a pair of handcuffs, a balaclava and a length of rope.
Mrs Taylor’s bravery and persistence probably saved the young woman from serious injury and possibly death at the hands of her attacker.
Mark TAYLOR 2 April 2011
CPO RNZN
Citation
On 5 October 2007 Chief Petty Officer Combat System Specialist Mark Taylor, a member of the ship’s company of HMNZS Canterbury, was involved in a series of sea boat drills for coxswain training while on route from Cape Reinga to Auckland.
He was standing in an alcove from which a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) was being lowered.
Everything progressed normally until the RHIB touched the water and tipped onto its side.
Two crew members in the RHIB at the time managed to escape, but two others were restrained by their harnesses and forced back into the boat by the on-rush of water.
As HMNZS Canterbury was being brought to a stop, an attempt was made to hoist the RHIB back on board.
At this point, it turned over completely, trapping the two occupants beneath it.
One crew member managed to escape, but the other remained trapped inside the upturned boat.
During this time, several of the ship’s company entered the water and attempted to rescue the trapped sailor, including Chief Petty Officer Taylor, who had pulled on his wetsuit as the RHIB tipped on its side.
He made several unsuccessful rescue attempts by free diving under the boat and trying to cut the trapped sailor’s harness.
During one of his brief periods on the surface, he attempted to release the boat’s self-righting gear, but unfortunately, this was also unsuccessful.
He continued to try to rescue the trapped sailor, until, after almost losing consciousness and suffering from water in the lungs, he too needed to be assisted from the water.
Chief Petty Officer Taylor was later admitted to the ship’s hospital, suffering from exhaustion, saltwater aspiration and a shoulder strain.
As an experienced diver, Chief Petty Officer Taylor was fully aware of how dangerous these rescue attempts could be, but he displayed bravery when, though injured, he persisted in his efforts to rescue his fellow crew member to the point of exhaustion and where his own life could have been at risk.
Sonny Wayne TERURE 23 October 1999
Private RNZA Regiment [Rtd] Y53819
[See Citation under Brendon Drew BURCHALL]
Ngametua TETAVA 31 December 2004
Sgt RNZA Infantry Regiment C748537
CITATION
On 17 October 1999, Sergeant Tetava was acting as Safety Supervisor for a live firing range practice at the High Range Training Area in Australia, prior to deploying to East Timor.
Sergeant Tetava was supervising Private Kelly, who was in a kneeling position changing the magazine on his weapon, while another soldier was throwing a grenade.
Both were positioned close to the edge of a gully.
The grenade landed short of its target and on the edge of the gully in such a way that Private Kelly was within the blast danger area of the grenade.
Seeing that Private Kelly was unaware of the danger, Sergeant Tetava immediately moved forward, pulled Private Kelly away from the gully edge and lay over his upper body.
Private Kelly sustained a flesh wound from the exploding grenade.
Sergeant Tetava's action showed great presence of mind and decisiveness.
He displayed a complete disregard for his own safety and in so doing, prevented a fellow soldier from sustaining a much more serious injury.
Keith Desmond TROON 23 October 1999
[See Citation under Ross William McEWAN]
Christopher Charles TURNBULL 2 December 2013
Sgt NZP
[See Citation under Gregory Edward Ross CARTER]
John VAUGHAN 29 January 2005
[Deceased]
Citation:
On 15 May 2002, a man entered the Mangere Bridge branch of the ASB Bank, wearing a disguise and carrying a loaded firearm in a bag.
As he entered the bank he removed the firearm and approached the customer services representative, pointing the firearm at her and demanding entry into the teller area security alcove.
Teller John Vaughan observed these actions from the secure alcove area and realising what was happening, allowed the offender entry as he was instructed to do during bank staff training, thus diverting the robber's attention from the other customer services representative.
The offender entered the area and confronted Mr Vaughan and another teller, pointing the firearm at both of them and demanding that they fill his bag with money.
As the tellers filled the bag, the offender told Mr Vaughan that he was going to shoot him in the head and then racked his firearm while pointing it at the tellers.
The tellers continued loading the bag, then Mr Vaughan handed it to the offender.
During this time, Mr Vaughan had attempted to take the lead and keep the other teller away from danger as much as possible.
The two tellers then stood passively behind the counter with their arms raised in the surrender position.
On his way out of the bank, the offender leaned forward over the counter and shot Mr Vaughan in the head.
Mr Vaughan died within hours from the gunshot wound.
The offender was subsequently convicted of the murder of Mr Vaughan.
Hugo Johannes Josephus VERHAGEN 14 Oct 2006
[See Citation under Shaun Bruce CAMPBELL]
Andrew Stephen WARNE 2 December 2013
Constable NZP
[See Citation under Gregory Edward Ross CARTER]
James Nicholas WATKINS 1 August 2016
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the six-storey Canterbury Television building.
A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts.
Mr James Watkins, a St John Paramedic, joined Fire Service and St John personnel at the CTV building to help rescue trapped survivors.
Fire Service personnel were tunnelling into the collapsed building to reach a group of trapped students.
The tunnel had been cleared by Fire Service personnel, but was not wide enough to fit two people side by side and rescuers had to crawl on their stomachs in the tight space.
Smoke from the fire onsite was also present in the tunnel.
Mr Watkins initially worked outside to drag the firefighters working in the tunnel back out by their ankles when significant aftershocks struck.
He then made trips in and out of the tunnel to assist a doctor who was running IV lines to the trapped survivors, and to pass medication to the doctor to administrate to the trapped persons.
Mr Watkins contributed medical support to rescue efforts carried out in dense smoke from the fire and under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Mark David WHITTAKER 23 June 2014
Snr Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, resulting in the collapse of the six-storey Canterbury Television building.
A fire had ignited in the lower levels of the building, complicating rescue efforts.
The fourth floor had been compressed to a space of approximately 60 centimetres high.
Tunnels were created into the fourth floor to gain access to a number of survivors trapped inside.
Senior Firefighter Mark Whittaker worked with three other firefighters in alternating tunnelling teams of two.
The firefighters were unable to use breathing apparatus or wear helmets due to the cramped conditions.
Debris had to be passed backwards along the bodies of the rescuers and down the tunnel as there was no room to turn around.
Firefighters were stationed at the tunnel entrance so that when there were significant aftershocks they could quickly pull the tunnellers out by their feet.
Eventually, the team of tunnellers, including Whittaker, located a small group of students trapped under a beam.
Two bodies had to be removed before the students could be reached.
One student was trapped by her ankle and it took a long time to free her, but amputation was avoided.
Another student was trapped by his head, but was pulled from beneath the beam and extracted through the tunnel.
A third student could not be freed until an amputation was carried out by a civilian doctor assisted by another team of firefighters, through an access hole from above.
The rescue efforts of Mark Whittaker and his team were carried out in dense smoke from the fire and under the constant threat of aftershocks.
Colin John WIGGINS 2 December 2013
[See Citation under Martin Joseph KAY]
Michael David YEATS 23 June 2014
Snr Firefighter NZFS
Citation
On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, causing the collapse of the Pyne Gould Corporation building, trapping around 30 people inside.
Senior Firefighter Mike Yeates worked with another firefighter to tunnel into the second floor in an attempt to gain access to trapped victims.
The space they searched was too confined for the firefighters to wear protective clothing.
Yeates had heard two survivors call out near his location.
The first survivor located was an injured woman hemmed into a tight space around 50 centimetres high, four metres into the building.
The two firefighters shifted rubble out of the way allowing the woman to be rescued.
A second injured man was located pinned behind air-conditioning equipment and was freed using a hacksaw.
Yeates and two other firefighters worked for 90 minutes on creating an access hole between the first and second floors.
The access hole allowed for a man trapped under a table on the first floor to be extricated.
The rescue efforts of Mike Yeates were carried out in unstable, confined conditions under the constant threat of aftershocks and falling masonry.
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