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Cave Creek disaster
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Cave Creek disaster
The Cave Creek disaster occurred on 28 April 1995 when a scenic viewing platform in Paparoa National Park, New Zealand, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 14 people. The victims, 13 of whom were Tai Poutini Polytechnic students, fell 40 metres (130 ft) onto rocks below. The tragedy resulted in wide criticism of the government and its policies towards funding and management of the conservation estate. Denis Marshall, the Minister of Conservation, eventually resigned, after the Commission of Inquiry's report came out. It also resulted in major changes to procedures used by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, after it was revealed that serious systemic failures had led to the building of the unstable platform. Eventual changes in New Zealand law, following a change of government, allowed for government departments to be held criminally liable for inadequate building practices, in the same way as the non-government organisations.
Cave Creek / Kotihotiho is a small stream in Paparoa National Park. A viewing platform was erected by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in April 1994, looking out over a 40-metre vertical-sided chasm with a view of the resurgence, where the creek emerges from a cave system below.
The builders of the platform did not have appropriate qualifications for the job. Twelve major problems or oversights occurred during the platform's construction (see below), including nails being used to connect the bearers to the piles instead of bolts as no drill was brought to the site. The platform was highly unsafe, especially with large numbers of people on it.
On the day of the incident, a group of students from Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth visited the park. En route through the bush, a small group consisting of the polytechnic tutor, a Department of Conservation (DOC) officer, and three students split off, while the larger group of 17 students and a second DOC officer continued towards the platform.
The larger group reached the platform first, and walked to the edge together at about 11:25 a.m. Several students started shaking the platform and it toppled forward into the chasm, killing the DOC officer and 13 of the students. Four students survived the fall with serious injuries.
The second group reached the location shortly after the collapse. Having realised what happened, the remaining DOC officer and one of the students ran back to the start of the track for help, but on arriving they found that the keys were not in the group's vehicles. At this point, the DOC officer returned to the scene of the accident while the student ran along the road with a note containing information about the location of the accident. By 12:15 p.m., he had managed to phone the police at Greymouth.
The remoteness of the site made it difficult for medical services to assist the survivors. The first person to reach the scene was a Greymouth police constable, who arrived on foot two hours after the accident. Ambulances from Greymouth and Westport arrived initially, later followed by RNZAF Bell UH-1H and BK-117 Rescue helicopters from Christchurch.
A Commission of Inquiry into the accident, headed by District Judge Graeme Noble, highlighted a number of serious concerns with the Department of Conservation's construction of the platform. Specific concerns that were raised included:
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Cave Creek disaster
The Cave Creek disaster occurred on 28 April 1995 when a scenic viewing platform in Paparoa National Park, New Zealand, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 14 people. The victims, 13 of whom were Tai Poutini Polytechnic students, fell 40 metres (130 ft) onto rocks below. The tragedy resulted in wide criticism of the government and its policies towards funding and management of the conservation estate. Denis Marshall, the Minister of Conservation, eventually resigned, after the Commission of Inquiry's report came out. It also resulted in major changes to procedures used by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, after it was revealed that serious systemic failures had led to the building of the unstable platform. Eventual changes in New Zealand law, following a change of government, allowed for government departments to be held criminally liable for inadequate building practices, in the same way as the non-government organisations.
Cave Creek / Kotihotiho is a small stream in Paparoa National Park. A viewing platform was erected by the Department of Conservation (DOC) in April 1994, looking out over a 40-metre vertical-sided chasm with a view of the resurgence, where the creek emerges from a cave system below.
The builders of the platform did not have appropriate qualifications for the job. Twelve major problems or oversights occurred during the platform's construction (see below), including nails being used to connect the bearers to the piles instead of bolts as no drill was brought to the site. The platform was highly unsafe, especially with large numbers of people on it.
On the day of the incident, a group of students from Tai Poutini Polytechnic in Greymouth visited the park. En route through the bush, a small group consisting of the polytechnic tutor, a Department of Conservation (DOC) officer, and three students split off, while the larger group of 17 students and a second DOC officer continued towards the platform.
The larger group reached the platform first, and walked to the edge together at about 11:25 a.m. Several students started shaking the platform and it toppled forward into the chasm, killing the DOC officer and 13 of the students. Four students survived the fall with serious injuries.
The second group reached the location shortly after the collapse. Having realised what happened, the remaining DOC officer and one of the students ran back to the start of the track for help, but on arriving they found that the keys were not in the group's vehicles. At this point, the DOC officer returned to the scene of the accident while the student ran along the road with a note containing information about the location of the accident. By 12:15 p.m., he had managed to phone the police at Greymouth.
The remoteness of the site made it difficult for medical services to assist the survivors. The first person to reach the scene was a Greymouth police constable, who arrived on foot two hours after the accident. Ambulances from Greymouth and Westport arrived initially, later followed by RNZAF Bell UH-1H and BK-117 Rescue helicopters from Christchurch.
A Commission of Inquiry into the accident, headed by District Judge Graeme Noble, highlighted a number of serious concerns with the Department of Conservation's construction of the platform. Specific concerns that were raised included:
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