Constable Aaron Burgess
On the afternoon of the 13th of January, 2016, Aaron Burgess, who was scheduled to commence his training at Police College in April of that year, was walking with his two children at Tomahawk Beach in Dunedin.
A woman approached Mr Burgess and told him that another woman in her fifties had been caught in a rip and taken 100 metres out to sea. She was struggling to keep afloat and was barely visible from the shoreline.
Mr Burgess asked the woman who had approached him to watch his children and to call for help.
He swam out through the strong breaking waves to reach the woman, who had drifted a further 50 metres away from her previous location. He attempted to calm her but she pushed him under the water. Mr Burgess regained control and instructed her to kick while he swam with her in tow.
Mr Burgess had to swim against a strong rip, and the woman had become too tired to help. When they finally reached the shore, both collapsed from exhaustion. The woman was taken to Dunedin Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Mr Burgess put his own life at risk by taking immediate action and swimming in rough conditions to rescue a person who was being swept out to sea.