The death of an experienced hunter in Mt Aspiring National Park occurred after the victim took a shortcut which led to a fall, a coroner’s report has found.

Long-time hunter and tramper Paul Laurie was hunting with friend James Short near the Kea Basin in January 2020 when the pair separated while navigating steep and slippery terrain.

In a report released yesterday (Monday November 13), coroner Ian Telford said James took a more conservative route and, a short time later, discovered that Paul had fallen about 30m to the base of a waterfall. 

After James contacted emergency services, Paul’s body was located by an air rescue team in the early evening that same day (January 18).

“From the evidence at hand, Mr Laurie would have almost certainly died on impact,” Ian said.

Paul, who lived in the Tasman District, was 61 at the time of his death.

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) extended its condolences to Paul’s friends and family and said falls are the most common cause of hunting injuries and fatalities.

Complacency in the outdoors is a common mistake that can be made by even the most experienced trampers and hunters, MSC said in a statement.

MSC was asked to provide an independent expert report for the coroner considering factors that could have caused Paul’s death, including recommendations on preventing future fatalities.

“The MSC report highlights that while Laurie was an extremely experienced tramper and hunter, and challenged himself in the outdoors, he was not known to be a risk-seeker,” MSC said.

“Having this level of experience can sometimes subconsciously lead to a degree of complacency.”

“Heuristic traps, also commonly known as 'mental shortcuts', are often present in outdoor recreation incidents, occasionally leading to serious consequences in the unforgiving backcountry environment. One of these traps, familiarity, can lead to complacency and overlooking or underestimating hazards and risks.”

The coroner endorsed the recommendations provided in the MSC report. 

They are: 

1. If you are experienced, be wary of the inherent human inclination toward complacency, underestimating risks, and over-estimating personal ability. 
2. Correct route selection is critical, and an adaptable approach should be maintained in relation to dynamic terrain and circumstances. Critical to this approach is maintaining constant awareness of terrain traps, such as bluffs or cliffs below.  
3. Stop, think, assess, and talk with your fellow travellers about the options you have, and as you do this consider the likelihood of a fall and the consequences if you were to lose your footing. Avoid terrain traps or do as much as you can to manage the risk of them. 

PHOTO: Supplied