Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Johnny Franklin: NZ Land Search and Rescue Chief development and project officer on the increasing number of missions

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Johnny Franklin: NZ Land Search and Rescue Chief development and project officer on the increasing number of missions · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, over the last six months, there has been a
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: significant increase in search and riscue operations as is compared
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: to the year before. Land Search and Risk Who say
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  Speaker 1: they've seen a twenty three percent increase in the demand
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: for services and a twenty three percent increase in the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: number of people being assisted. We're getting lost and a
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: cost to save us. So Chief Development and Project Officer
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  Speaker 1: Johnny Franklin is joining me now, Hello.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Johnny, Good morning, Andrew. How are you good?
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Why are we getting lost?
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  Speaker 2: That's a really good question. The data for that last
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  Speaker 2: six months or so is still a bit fresh, so
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  Speaker 2: we've not had an opportunity to analyze it, so it's
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  Speaker 2: pretty quite difficult for us to answer that at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Well, what kind of operations are they?
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  Speaker 2: There's a variety of operations, you know, the typical things
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  Speaker 2: that people would expect. Landsearch a message to be involved
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  Speaker 2: in the autpine environment of the bush environments, but also
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  Speaker 2: we get involved in operations in urban areas for people
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  Speaker 2: who may have cognitive conditions, and that accounts about twenty
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  Speaker 2: five percent of our operations, and obviously as our population
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  Speaker 2: gets older, that percentage increases.
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  Speaker 1: While you're still analyzing the figures. It's you know, it's
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  Speaker 1: very tempting to say we're getting more tourists again, and
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  Speaker 1: more tourists aren't doing this the appropriate you know, preparation
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  Speaker 1: before they go into these difficult environments.
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, we are seeing an increase in
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  Speaker 2: a number of international tourists coming to New Zealand, but
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  Speaker 2: we're still not at the same levels as we were
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  Speaker 2: pre COVID. And yet we're still seeing that increase at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. And we also have to remember that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: this number of tourists only accounts for fifteen percent of
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  Speaker 2: such a mescue operations. You know, that still wouldn't account
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: for this huge increase. But still this in the last
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  Speaker 2: six months.
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  Speaker 1: But still the numbers go up and we have to
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  Speaker 1: find them and we have to save them. Therefore, you
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  Speaker 1: have to have enough money to do it, and you
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  Speaker 1: have to have enough people. So what does this mean
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  Speaker 1: for the amount of volunteer you're having to deploy.
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  Speaker 2: Well, obviously the number of volunteers deploying goes up with
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  Speaker 2: the number of instances occurring. We have sufficient volunteers at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. We have three thousand, three hundred volunteers around
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  Speaker 2: the country. But you know, they give up their time
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  Speaker 2: and that's their most valuable asset, and we are currently
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  Speaker 2: expecting them to provide most of their equipment, which places
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  Speaker 2: a huge financial burden on them. So, you know, over time,
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  Speaker 2: that makes it more difficult for us recruit.
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  Speaker 1: And do you have enough people?
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  Speaker 2: We do have enough people at the moment, but I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, for the longevity and the sustainability of the organization,
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  Speaker 2: removing those barriers to recruitment is the only way that
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  Speaker 2: we can probably continue to be able to provide that
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  Speaker 2: service in the future.
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  Speaker 1: And how sustainable is your funding model? These increases you
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  Speaker 1: need more money even though you depend on volunteers. So
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  Speaker 1: how sustainable is your funding model?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think at the moment we're able to We're
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  Speaker 2: very fortunate receive eight point seven eight point seven eight
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  Speaker 2: million from the government, but in order to fully equip
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  Speaker 2: all of our volunteers and provide a fully funded service,
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  Speaker 2: that would probably that cost about twenty five million dollars
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  Speaker 2: we estimate, and we're able to make up some of
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  Speaker 2: that funding by you know, local charitable trusts, etc. But
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  Speaker 2: the volunteers do bear the vast majority of underspend themselves.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Johnny, could you thank the more for us. You
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  Speaker 1: guys do amazing work and great work and we will
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  Speaker 1: Where would we be with Ada? And we thank you
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  Speaker 1: for everything you've done. That's Johnny Franklin, Chief Development and
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  Speaker 1: Project Officer. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio