Police can now release the names of the two people who died in the helicopter crash near Paekākāriki Hill on 28 January. They were Cole Christopher Ritchie, 25, from Wharepapa South, and Joseph Mark Keeley, 54, from Tauhara.
On Thursday Police completed a scene examination at the site of Wednesday's fatal helicopter crash, Kāpiti Mana Area Commander Inspector Renée Perkins says. The wreckage was removed on Friday.
Inspector Perkins says the response was a highly coordinated, multi agency effort, with emergency services, aviation authorities, local iwi and regional partners working closely together in extremely challenging terrain.
She acknowledges the swift and professional collaboration between Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Urban Search and Rescue, the Civil Aviation Authority, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
"The response demonstrated the strength of our inter agency partnerships and the shared commitment to supporting one another and the community in difficult circumstances," Inspector Perkins says.
Police, alongside the Civil Aviation Authority and Victim Support, continue to work together to support the families affected. Our sympathies remain with them at this incredibly difficult time.
