Paraglider in stable condition following incident on Te Mata Peak
A man in his 60s is in a stable condition at Hawke's Bay Hospital this evening following a paragliding incident on Te Mata Peak just a few hours earlier.
Emergency services were called to the incident on the riverside of Te Mata Peak just after 4.40pm this afternoon and worked to rescue the paraglider after he crashed.
A police spokesperson said he was reported to have moderate to serious injuries when he was winched out by the Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter and taken to hospital for treatment.
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the man was in a serious condition. However, just before 8.30pm, this evening, a Hawke's Bay District Health Board spokeswoman said the man was in a stable condition.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Hawke's Bay Area Manager Ken Cooper said the rescue they carried out was "well practised" by their line rescue team, made up of specialist firefighters.
Along with the specialist team, crews from the Havelock North Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Hastings Fire Brigade assisted in the rescue.
"We have a tactical plan for that scenario which we put into effect and everyone knows everyone's part in the plan, so it's the Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter, FENZ and St John Ambulance."
In this case, the easiest rescue was by helicopter, Cooper said.
Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust general manager Ian Wilmot confirmed a helicopter had attended the incident.
