Wānaka SAR consists of specialist incident management, alpine, sub-alpine, canyon/swiftwater, drone and search dog teams. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDWānaka Search and Rescue (SAR) has received national recognition for training videos it made for its members. ‘‘As the busiest back-country all-volunteer SAR group in New Zealand, we are constantly seeking ways of advancing our already very high level of skills and were thrilled to get this recognition from the national body. In the award presentation LandSAR said over the past year Wānaka SAR had demonstrated ‘‘exactly what Takina Mai represents — drawing others forward through shared learning’’. ‘‘By creating structured, highquality training videos, Wānaka SAR has enabled volunteers to refresh and build their knowledge in their own time, reinforcing learning outside of scheduled training nights.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 14, 2026 15:22 UTC