The death of a teenager on a school trip to Abbey Caves has left a survivor of the 2008 Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy feeling like “nothing has been learnt”.
On May 9, Whangārei Boys’ High School student Karnin Petera, 15, died after rising floodwaters inside Abbey Caves separated him from his 14 classmates, teacher and instructor.
Stuff previously revealed the group were meant to be rock climbing, but bad weather had forced the trip underground instead.
Fifteen years earlier, Kish Proctor survived a similar incident when a year 12 group from Howick’s Elim Christian College became trapped by rising floodwaters in the Mangatepopo Gorge.
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Proctor’s classmates, Natasha Bray, Portia McPhail, Tara Gregory, Anthony Mulder, Huan (Tom) Hsu, Floyd Fernandes and teacher Antony McClean were killed in the tragedy.
Proctor said hearing about the tragedy at Abbey Caves had “deeply saddened” him and his fellow survivors and his heart went out to Karnin’s family.
Denis Piper/Stuff
Flowers have been laid outside the gates of Whangārei Boys’ High School, following the tragic death at Abbey Caves.
He said he felt for the students on the trip that day as, being a survivor himself, he knew what the grief of seeing a friend die felt like.
“It’s a long healing process and I want the kids to know survivor’s guilt is a natural feeling to go through.
“The grief you feel, never really leaves you – it hits in waves. I want them to know despite the grief, you have to honour the memory of your friend and keep going.”
Proctor said he felt “disappointment” that another student had lost their lives on a school trip.
Stuff
Anthony McClean, Portia McPhail, Anthony Mulder, Tara Gregory, Huan (Tom) Hsu, Natasha Bray, and Floyd Fernandes drowned in the Mangatepopo Gorge.
“When you’re 15 [and] going on a school trip, the school is meant to keep you safe. Why were they out there in that weather?
“There needs to be accountability, the fact this happened again after what we went through makes me question whether there were any learnings from it.”
Despite what Proctor experienced, and the recent death of Karnin, he said he believed outdoor education trips were an important part of New Zealand’s schooling system – when done right.
“We have a beautiful country to explore, but it needs to be explored safely with teachers and guides in control of the setting.”
Nikki Bray, who lost her daughter Natasha in the Mangatepopo tragedy, said her heart was “absolutely broken” for the family of Karnin.
“All of us who lost a child in the Mangatepopo tragedy are feeling for them and praying for them.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare and like our incident, it should never have happened.”
Bray said she was at a “loss for words” as to how such a tragedy could have happened again and also questioned why lessons hadn’t been learnt.
Stuff
Nikki Bray, pictured with her late husband Andy, lost her daughter Natasha in 2008. (File photo)
“While the situations are unique, there are similarities and I cannot believe another family has to live with this nightmare.
“The same questions are going through my mind, why did they go caving when the weather reports were so bad?”
Bray said Karnin’s loved ones would be dealing with a “lifelong sentence” and it was time to let them grieve and know they weren’t alone.
Whangārei Boys’ High School principal Karen Gilbert-Smith has thus far refused to answer questions about Karnin’s death.
Investigations on behalf of the Coroner and WorkSafe have been launched.
