Long term Wānaka police officer Aaron Nicholson has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours list, for services to the NZ Police and Search and Rescue.

Aaron joined the New Zealand Police in 1987 and became Officer in Charge and Search and Rescue (SAR) coordinator in Wānaka from 2000 to 2018, servicing Mt Aspiring National Park - one of the most visited areas for climbers, trampers and adventure tourists in the country.

Aaron told the Wānaka App he was “super humbled” to be recognised and nominated for the honour by his peers, but added “nothing you achieve in SAR is done in isolation”.

“It’s a great big team game. You need good people behind you, beside you, and looking ahead in front of you to ensure that great work gets done and there is a lasting legacy,” he said.

“I’ve had the pleasure to be able to stand on the shoulders of giants which has made my 22 year SAR tenure so much fun (Alan Gillispie, Stu Thorne, Geoff Wayatt, Gary Dickson, Phil Melchior and Bill Day to name but a few).”

During his tenure Aaron has managed more than 600 SAR operations. 

Wānaka SAR went from operating out of the police station garage with volunteers called as needed with their own equipment, to now having 80 volunteers with a fully equipped incident management centre and specialist gear. 

Under his leadership, Wānaka SAR raised around $4M to build their headquarters, ensure availability of clothing, communications and technical equipment, and provide volunteers with up-to-date training. 

Aaron led Wānaka SAR fundraising for its headquarters on Ballantyne Road.

Aaron led Wānaka SAR to create specialist integrated teams for alpine/cliff rescue, swift/water canyon rescue, sub-alpine/bush, and an incident management team. 

“Wānaka SAR is a great organisation, built on the principles of service and helping those in need in the back country but what I very much enjoy is the shared ethos in the relentless pursuit of excellence within the group,” he said. 

“Being good is not always good enough when people’s lives may be at stake. We can and should always try to be better.”

Wānaka SAR is the only group to have received the LandSAR New Zealand Supreme Award three times. 

Aaron has volunteered with Wānaka SAR since he retired from the police in 2018 and was chair from 2020 to 2023. 

For the past seven years, he has been a New Zealand Land SAR Incident Management Tutor delivering training nationally. He also helped found the Southern Alps Rescue Trust in 2020 and remains a trustee.

As many locals know, Aaron was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in early 2023.

He said he was “very happy and relieved to share that after six months in hospital … I have now had five back in the land of the living, in remission”.

“Despite receiving the best care ever in the Hematology department at Dunedin I do prefer my view of the mountains here in Wānaka,” he said.

Living from “blood test to blood test” every six weeks is “actually not a bad way to live”, he said.

“It makes valuing and prioritising your time so much easier. Staying totally present and connected have been just a couple of the better outcomes of this unexpected chapter. 

“My family are so grateful for the awesome support we received from friends and the wider Wānaka community. It makes a big difference going through this knowing you have so many people in your corner.”

Aaron said he has reduced some of his work commitments to focus on continuing his SAR tutor work nationally and continuing to contribute to the Wānaka SAR group “the best I can”.

PHOTOS: Supplied