1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,800
Speaker 1: Now, over the last six months, there has been a

2
00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:05,880
Speaker 1: significant increase in search and riscue operations as is compared

3
00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,399
Speaker 1: to the year before. Land Search and Risk Who say

4
00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,280
Speaker 1: they've seen a twenty three percent increase in the demand

5
00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,159
Speaker 1: for services and a twenty three percent increase in the

6
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,400
Speaker 1: number of people being assisted. We're getting lost and a

7
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,000
Speaker 1: cost to save us. So Chief Development and Project Officer

8
00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,120
Speaker 1: Johnny Franklin is joining me now, Hello.

9
00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,959
Speaker 2: Johnny, Good morning, Andrew. How are you good?

10
00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:27,040
Speaker 1: Why are we getting lost?

11
00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,840
Speaker 2: That's a really good question. The data for that last

12
00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,040
Speaker 2: six months or so is still a bit fresh, so

13
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,000
Speaker 2: we've not had an opportunity to analyze it, so it's

14
00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,120
Speaker 2: pretty quite difficult for us to answer that at the moment.

15
00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,400
Speaker 1: Well, what kind of operations are they?

16
00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,159
Speaker 2: There's a variety of operations, you know, the typical things

17
00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,240
Speaker 2: that people would expect. Landsearch a message to be involved

18
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,160
Speaker 2: in the autpine environment of the bush environments, but also

19
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,200
Speaker 2: we get involved in operations in urban areas for people

20
00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,360
Speaker 2: who may have cognitive conditions, and that accounts about twenty

21
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,480
Speaker 2: five percent of our operations, and obviously as our population

22
00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,200
Speaker 2: gets older, that percentage increases.

23
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,200
Speaker 1: While you're still analyzing the figures. It's you know, it's

24
00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:15,280
Speaker 1: very tempting to say we're getting more tourists again, and

25
00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:19,560
Speaker 1: more tourists aren't doing this the appropriate you know, preparation

26
00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,880
Speaker 1: before they go into these difficult environments.

27
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,440
Speaker 2: I think, you know, we are seeing an increase in

28
00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,720
Speaker 2: a number of international tourists coming to New Zealand, but

29
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,720
Speaker 2: we're still not at the same levels as we were

30
00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:36,240
Speaker 2: pre COVID. And yet we're still seeing that increase at

31
00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:38,800
Speaker 2: the moment. And we also have to remember that, you know,

32
00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,160
Speaker 2: this number of tourists only accounts for fifteen percent of

33
00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,240
Speaker 2: such a mescue operations. You know, that still wouldn't account

34
00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:48,680
Speaker 2: for this huge increase. But still this in the last

35
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:49,480
Speaker 2: six months.

36
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,000
Speaker 1: But still the numbers go up and we have to

37
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,880
Speaker 1: find them and we have to save them. Therefore, you

38
00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:56,680
Speaker 1: have to have enough money to do it, and you

39
00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,080
Speaker 1: have to have enough people. So what does this mean

40
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,960
Speaker 1: for the amount of volunteer you're having to deploy.

41
00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,560
Speaker 2: Well, obviously the number of volunteers deploying goes up with

42
00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:10,000
Speaker 2: the number of instances occurring. We have sufficient volunteers at

43
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,200
Speaker 2: the moment. We have three thousand, three hundred volunteers around

44
00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,079
Speaker 2: the country. But you know, they give up their time

45
00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,760
Speaker 2: and that's their most valuable asset, and we are currently

46
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,480
Speaker 2: expecting them to provide most of their equipment, which places

47
00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:27,120
Speaker 2: a huge financial burden on them. So, you know, over time,

48
00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:29,760
Speaker 2: that makes it more difficult for us recruit.

49
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:31,280
Speaker 1: And do you have enough people?

50
00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,079
Speaker 2: We do have enough people at the moment, but I think,

51
00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,800
Speaker 2: you know, for the longevity and the sustainability of the organization,

52
00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,000
Speaker 2: removing those barriers to recruitment is the only way that

53
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,120
Speaker 2: we can probably continue to be able to provide that

54
00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:44,040
Speaker 2: service in the future.

55
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,120
Speaker 1: And how sustainable is your funding model? These increases you

56
00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,959
Speaker 1: need more money even though you depend on volunteers. So

57
00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,200
Speaker 1: how sustainable is your funding model?

58
00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,160
Speaker 2: Well, I think at the moment we're able to We're

59
00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,239
Speaker 2: very fortunate receive eight point seven eight point seven eight

60
00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,880
Speaker 2: million from the government, but in order to fully equip

61
00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,280
Speaker 2: all of our volunteers and provide a fully funded service,

62
00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:12,760
Speaker 2: that would probably that cost about twenty five million dollars

63
00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,520
Speaker 2: we estimate, and we're able to make up some of

64
00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,320
Speaker 2: that funding by you know, local charitable trusts, etc. But

65
00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,760
Speaker 2: the volunteers do bear the vast majority of underspend themselves.

66
00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,640
Speaker 1: Well, Johnny, could you thank the more for us. You

67
00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,640
Speaker 1: guys do amazing work and great work and we will

68
00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:31,240
Speaker 1: Where would we be with Ada? And we thank you

69
00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,600
Speaker 1: for everything you've done. That's Johnny Franklin, Chief Development and

70
00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,760
Speaker 1: Project Officer. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,

71
00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:39,360
Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks.

72
00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,680
Speaker 2: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast

73
00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:43,600
Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio