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Whakatāne Police staff lay a memorial wreath at the harbour entrance on the second anniversary of the Whakaari eruption last December.

A tight team of Bay of Plenty police officers have dedicated themselves to helping the families of those who died as a result of the Whakaari/White Island eruption and to the survivors. By Ellen Brook.

Up to 10 coronial inquiry staff have spent more than two years working in a too-small office in the port town of Whakatāne as part of Operation Whakaari.

On one wall of their snug workspace are rows of A4 sheets of paper – a timeline of the tragedy and a breakdown of the components of the inquiry – along with maps and photographs of White Island.

On the other wall are two whiteboards. One carries the names and dates of the 22 people who were killed. The other has information about those who have survived, but whose lives have been changed forever.

The past two years have been transformational for the Whakaari team too.

Work for any coronial inquiry calls for a high degree of accuracy, thoroughness, communication, empathy and paperwork, but that increases exponentially in a mass fatality event where most of the dead are foreign nationals.

It’s a long, slow process, but this team have put the time to good use, developing a deeper understanding of the struggles and needs of the families of the deceased and of the survivors, and building an incredible bond with them.

Right from the start, says 2IC Detective Sergeant Ant Hay, they made a conscious decision to put the victims at the heart of everything they did.

“Knowing that there would be significant delays, we wanted our victims and families to have as much information as we could give them and as early as possible.”

The team hold regular Webex video sessions with the families, catching up and giving progress reports, and send frequent emails. “Most of the victims’ families have engaged and want to hear from us.”

Team member Detective Simon Nolan was one of the first responders at the wharf on the day of the eruption in 2019 and saw some of the terrible injuries first hand. He has talked with all the victims since then.

“Nearly all of them are still having surgeries. For many, it’s their hands. The effect of that is huge on the fine motor skills that we take for granted, like being able to do up a zip, or use a keyboard.

“They are still suffering pain because their skin is damaged and they can’t regulate their temperature.

“They are trying to move on with their lives, which is difficult as the visible injuries mean there’s no escaping it. It’s the last thing they think of at night and the first thing they think of in the morning.”

Senior Constable Leanne Fairburn and Detective Sergeant Ant Hay at the coronial inquiry team office in Whakatāne.

Their courage, incredible strength and resilience has been inspiring, he says, and gives urgency and meaning to the coronial inquiry process.

Central to the building of connections with the survivors and families has been the work of Tauranga family liaison officer Senior Constable Leanne Fairbairn. Her role began the day after the eruption and it hasn’t stopped.

“The whole coronial team has been invested in these victims,” she says.

“We have got to know them very well, and it has been a privilege to be allowed to work with these people in their darkest times.”

“For us,” says Ant, “it has been about understanding how their lives have changed, how absorbing their recovery is. It affects every aspect of their lives. For them, it started out as an amazing trip out on the boat, something they were so excited about, and it ended in tragedy.”

Simon, who previously worked for police in Britain, says the volume and quantity of the victim liaison in this inquiry has set a gold standard for such work. And because it’s a small team, it has been very personalised.

“Leanne knows so much detail about our victims and it’s little things that make our families feel they are part of the journey. When decisions are made around an inquest, hopefully they will be able to travel over here. There is one barrier already broken and that is not having to meet strangers. They know us.”

The coronial team know there is a long way to go, but they say they will be there as long as it takes.