A Dunedin search and rescue tracking competition, thought to be the first of its kind in the world, has exceeded expectations and will become an annual event.
The brainchild of Dunedin tracker Paul Kelly, it comprised teams of New Zealand's top rescue trackers who spent up to 56 hours in the hills around Dunedin using advanced technology and search methods to track hunting groups.
"It went exceptionally well and will become an amazing tool," he said.
Mr Kelly, a New Zealand Land Search and Rescue search manager and member of the Search and Rescue Institute New Zealand, had been working on the competition for two years.
His motivation was to improve and maintain the skills of search and rescue volunteers throughout the country as well as trial new tracking technology.
Mr Kelly said the tracking ability shown by those in the competition was years ahead of what he expected and any search group in the country would be privileged to have them involved.
Dunedin trackers had spent 18 months training for the exercise, and those in the advanced team from Hamilton had trained specifically for the competition over the past eight months, he said.
Working in the greater Taieri basin, the advanced Dunedin team beat by a slight margin its North Island opposition, which tracked in the Mahinerangi area.
A Catlins-Tokanui team won the 36-hour operational category and a Dunedin team the 24-hour novice competition.
Dunedin police officers trained in search and rescue were also involved.
Mr Kelly said the competition, which finished on Saturday, would be kept in Dunedin and held annually with support from sponsors and the employers of volunteers.
He said a huge level of community support made the event possible and it was a collaborative effort throughout.
About 30 trackers were involved, as well as more than 50 others who worked on operational logistics.
Live radio tracking of competitors provided a wealth of data for future use, Mr Kelly said.
Feedback from all involved also proved invaluable.
"It's all about testing and challenging people, and encouraging them to train so they can go out and do the best they can for missing subjects and their families," he said.
