The Government would have to consider regulations covering climbing if the mountaineering community makes an issue out of his action in evacuating seven Japanese climbers from Mt Cook, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, indicated today.
But Sir Robert also said his action could not be taken as a precedent as it was unlikely that the circumstances that prompted it would be repeated.
Speaking from his Hatfield’s Beach holiday home, the Prime Minister said he had not the slightest doubt that someone had to stop the Japanese climb. The only person with the necessary authority was himself.
Asked if regulations were necessary so that park rangers, for example, had the authority to take action themselves should it be required, Sir Robert replied:
“It certainly raises the issue. We’ve been concerned about it but not to the point of doing anything.”
The Government has been concerned because of incidents like the one in November 1982 when two experienced climbers — Messrs Phil Doole of Wellington, and Mark Inglis, of Geraldine — had to be rescued by helicopter from their snow cave near the summit of Mt Cook.
Both men had to have their feet amputated after the incident during which an air force Iroquois helicopter had crashed on the mountain’s Empress Shelf.
“At that point that ceases to be a sport, that is just foolhardiness, and what we had with the Japanese is people who had no idea of what they were tackling,” Sir Robert said.
Despite its concern about incidents in which experienced climbers took excessive risks, the Government had done nothing about it, however.
“But it is something that comes up, and if those people who are involved in mountaineering want to make an issue out of it, then I think the Government would certainly have to give it consideration.”
“If people like Sir Edmund Hillary (story page 8) are going to say that in every case people who wish to climb mountains are going to have to be permitted to do that regardless of the risks or regardless of their experience or lack of it, then I think the Government has some responsibility in the matter. But whether anything would be done finally is a different matter.”
If groups involved in mountaineering, such as the Federated Mountain Clubs, said they did not want any interference whatsoever with their sport then the Government would have to respond and talk to them, Sir Robert said.
And asked if he foresaw a situation where he might have to intervene in the case of New Zealand mountaineers, the Prime Minister said he did not think that question arose.
“I think it’s unlikely that the circumstances would be duplicated so you can’t take this as a precedent,” Sir Robert said.
He was more concerned about saving lives, he said, than the criticism that had followed his action from people like Sir Edmund.
Sir Edmund said the Japanese climbers could be justifiably annoyed by the Prime Minister’s action in ordering their evacuation.
But Sir Robert responded by saying that if Sir Edmund was to be taken at his word, “he would go the next step, wouldn’t he, and he would say these people must be permitted to risk their lives, and if they get into difficulty, no-one should go and help them… they should be left to their own devices. I imagine he’s not prepared to go that far.”
