Search continues for woman and child missing in Manawatū River

Wednesday, 29 December 2021

Divers resume the search for a woman and child missing in the Manawatū River in Palmerston North at Ahimate Beach.

Police believe a woman and child who went missing in the Manawatū River in Palmerston North have drowned.

The extensive search for the pair, who went missing in the river on Wednesday, has been suspended for the night.

The police dive squad joined the search on Wednesday.

The squad was initially not joining the search and rescue team on Thursday morning, as it was engaged in another search for a missing diver near Te Araroa, East Cape.

However, a police spokeswoman said a second team of off-duty divers had travelled to Manawatū to help.

Search and rescue look for a missing woman and child at the Manawatū River.

* Search continues for man who went missing along Manawatū River

* Manawatū River search for missing fisherman proving challenging

Search and rescue teams are scouring the Manawatū River for a woman and child who have gone missing.

The search resumed at 9am on Thursday, and at 4pm the dive squad was finishing up for the day.

A police media spokeswoman said kayaks would be used to continue the search for another hour, and the dive squad would then resume their search at 8am on Friday.

Officer in charge of Search and Rescue Andy Brook said teams had searched the surface of the river on Wednesday night until 10.30pm.

Family watch on as divers search the area.

He said police believed the pair had drowned and “expected to find them under water”.

He confirmed the pair weren’t good swimmers.

Police Inspector Ross Grantham said police were called about 3.15pm on Wednesday.

An 11-year-old girl wearing a pink swimsuit had gone into the water from the shore of Ahimate Beach, and it appeared she got into difficulty, he said.

Jason Hina prepares a food tent to support family and emergency service workers as the search continues.

A 25-year-old woman, related to the child, went in after her, and both disappeared from view.

The woman was wearing a blue dress when she was last seen.

Family members who were present at the time went looking for the pair, but were unable to find them.

A rāhui was placed on the river by kaumātua Manu Kawana, extending from the Ashhurst Bridge to Ōpiki. No-one but search and rescues teams can enter the water until it is lifted.

Search and rescue efforts continue at a beach on the ManawatÅ« River where a woman and child have gone missing.

About 15 people from the New Zealand Karen Association travelled down from Auckland on Wednesday night to support the family.

Translator Cici Dwe said the family were refugees and had arrived in New Zealand about 18 months ago.

“We are a small community and coming from a refugee background, we want to be there for each other.”

Kaihautū, leader, Rob Hewitt also went to the river.

“I came down to support the whānau. Look at what’s happening around New Zealand [in the] last week-and-a-half.”

He said there had been too many drownings and people needed to understand and identify the risks associated with water.

“This group here didn’t have strong capability.”

Jason Hina, who is part of the local iwi, arrived on Wednesday night and performed a karakia.

He said while the rāhui was in place there was to be no fishing or swimming in the river.

“The reason is, once a drowning happens it is scared, tapu.”

Hina put a call out for support and, with the help of Legacy Church, headed down the river on Thursday with food and drink for the whānau and emergency services.

Police used a rescue helicopter, search and rescue teams and a swift water rescue team to scour the river, but by 5.30pm on Wednesday had been unable to locate them.

The river is swollen from recent rain and still discoloured.