Search and Rescue Nelson

15/04/2026

Heads up, Whakatū! 👋
Search and Rescue Nelson will be out at Fairfield Park this evening running a training exercise.
Teams will be practicing assessing a lost party, keeping them warm, building shelter, and communicating with IMT.

All is well — this is training only.

18/03/2026

Have you seen Alon?

Police are appealing for sightings of Alon, reported missing in Maruia.

Alon was last seen on Thursday 5 March on Rappahannock Road.

Police believe he may have hitch-hiked to the Nelson and Marlborough area.

Police and Alon's family are concerned for his wellbeing and would like to locate him.

If you have seen Alon or have information regarding his whereabouts, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105.

Please use the reference number 260317/0542.

30/01/2026

⛰️ River Flood Safety Training – St Arnaud 🌊

Our team had an awesome River Flood Safety course last Saturday in St Arnaud! With tutors Chris Whitehouse and Neal McAloon, we got stuck into a strong outflow from Lake Rotoiti to practice:
✔️ Solo river crossings
✔️ Team crossings
✔️ Throw bag techniques
✔️ And yes… plenty of controlled swims after pushing skills right to the point of failure!

The course brought together dedicated SAR team members from Nelson, Golden Bay, and Motueka — fantastic collaboration and commitment all round.

Great learning, great conditions, and great people. 🧡

Acknowledgement N. McAloon for the photography.📷

18/01/2026

We are delighted to learn that Graham has been located safely, and send our well wishes to Graham and his whānau as they reunite and focus on recovery.

Graham Garnett, 66, has been found sheltering in a hut in Kahurangi National Park, alive.

Graham went tramping in the Baton/Ellis River area and did not return as expected on 30 December.

An operation got underway involving Land Search and Rescue New Zealand (LandSAR) groups and specialist teams, New Zealand Defence Force, Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand and many volunteers and supporters.

On Thursday 15 January, the search team made the difficult decision to call off the search but remained ready to respond if new information came to light.

Today at about 2.30pm Graham was discovered in Venus Hut by contractors who were working in the area.

Graham has been transported to Nelson Hospital where he has been reunited with his family.

This is an amazing result. We are so pleased for Graham and his loved ones.

Obviously he has been through quite an ordeal and everyone involved in the search is delighted to hear that Graham has been found alive.

Graham's family request privacy at this time.

15/01/2026

Thank you to all of the volunteers who supported this response.🚁
Your commitment, time, and efforts are invaluable.

A special thank you also to our SAR partners, local businesses, and organisations who provided additional assistance—your support is truly appreciated. 🧡

05/01/2026

🚨Ongoing Search – Kahurangi National Park
A search is continuing for a tramper overdue in the Baton area of Kahurangi National Park.
To support ongoing search efforts, the following areas will be closed tomorrow:

Wilkinson Track
Baton Saddle
Loveridge Spur Route
Cowin Spur Track
Wharepapa Arthur Range – from Mount Star through to The Twins
Walking track to Flanagans Hut

Police are keen to hear from anyone who they haven't spoken to yet who was in the Baton/Ellis River area from the afternoon of 26 December, particularly anyone who was around Flanagan's Hut. More information is available here: https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/search-missing-tramper-kahurangi-national-park

02/01/2026

Search teams are continuing to look for an overdue tramper in the Baton area / Kahurangi National Park, but are widening their appeal for information.

The 66-year-old man is missing in the Baton/Ellis River area; he was due to return home on 30 December but has not done so. The man is around 177cm tall, approximately 100kg, and has grey hair.

Senior Constable David Cogger said Police now want to hear from anyone who travelled through the Leslie River/Karamea Bend area around 29 and 30 December, or early January.

“Even if you didn’t see anyone, please let us know. We are concerned for this tramper and every piece of information helps us build a wider picture and inform where we should be searching. That includes whether other people were on tracks at the time, or not.”

Police still want to hear from anyone who had been in the Baton/Ellis River area since the afternoon of 26 December - particularly anyone who has been around Flanagan’s Hut.

“We would advise anyone who saw a man matching the description to contact us immediately."

Information can be reported at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update report”, or by calling 105. Please use the reference number P064981672.

01/01/2026

Been in Baton Valley/Ellis River/Twins area?
👇👇👇👍
👀

Tasman Police have received a report of an overdue tramper in the Baton Valley / Ellis River / Twins area of the Kahurangi National Park.

The 66-year-old man was due to return home on 30 December but has not done so.

The man is around 177cm tall, approximately 100kg.

To help our search teams, we would like to hear from anyone who has been in the Baton Valley / Ellis River area since the afternoon of 26 December.

Search and Rescue would appreciate also hearing from anyone who has been around or stayed at the Flanagan’s Hut – and who may have seen a man matching this description.

If you can help, please contact Police via 105, either online or by phone, and quote event number P064981672.

30/12/2025

👏 Celebrating 50 Years of Dedication: Honouring Ian Watts! 🧡

We’re thrilled to share that Ian Watts, a stalwart of Search and Rescue Nelson since 1975, has been awarded the King’s Service Medal in the 2026 New Year Honours!

For over five decades, Ian’s unwavering commitment has helped countless people lost or injured in urban and wilderness areas, as well as those affected by emergencies including the Kaikōura earthquakes, Pigeon Valley fire, cyclones Fehi and Gita, and the Covid 19 lockdowns.

Ian’s dedication goes far beyond the call of duty. From all-night searches in rugged terrain to coordinating multi agency efforts, he has always been there when people needed him most. His leadership and humility have shaped the team into what it is today.
Ian’s simple yet powerful reason:

“When you’ve managed to find someone and help them out … the feeling of just being able to be there for them … Days like that make the inconvenience worth it.''

In addition to operations Ian has been contributed to governance and training, and was one of the founding members of the Nelson Tasman Response Team.

👏 Please join us in congratulating Ian Watts on this well-deserved national honour! 🏅 Your passion and courage are truly inspiring, Ian—here’s to many more years of service and saving lives in our community.

Ian Watts has also helped people in earthquakes, fires, storms and a pandemic.

20/12/2025

07/12/2025

Busy Week with Many Positives!

Two Successful SAR Operations!
✅ SAROP 1: Sunday evening, teams responded to a missing father and son near Rocks Hut. Thanks to quick coordination, they were located in heavy fog after getting lost on a day walk. Everyone made it safely back to the hut and walked out the next day—with pizzas waiting!
✅ SAROP 2: A PLB activation in the Upper Wairoa area led to a challenging search. With helicopter support and handheld tracking, the missing person was found and winched out safely.
👏 Huge thanks to all involved for the incredible effort and teamwork!

On Wednesday night, we celebrated at our seasonal end-of-year gathering and awards night.
🎉 Big congratulations to Richard Walker for being awarded the Tucker Shield, and to Ian Watts (you legend!) for an amazing milestone—50 years in SAR!
So good to see everyone there, and well done to all for your achievements this year.

Finally finishing off the week with supporting the Spectacle at aid stations, and some of the team taking part in the event with cracking times!🏃‍♀️‍➡️ 💪🏅