Tom has a long first-hand history with Tauranga YSAR. Starting as a student in 2010, Tom finished the three-year course and moved into the role of a field team member with the local Land Search and Rescue (LSAR) group. He has gained practical experience in searches throughout the Bay of Plenty region since 2013.
Originally from Tauranga, Tom spent much of his youth in the bush. Tom attended Otumoetai College in his teenage years before completing his nursing degree at Auckland University.
Tom is currently employed as a Registered Nurse within Auckland City Hospital’s Adult Emergency Department. He specialises in emergency management and acute patient conditions. He is also completing postgraduate papers with Auckland University as he continues to improve his practice.
Tom is an avid tramper and knows the Kaimai Ranges both on and off track. He has completed many of New Zealand’s best multiday tramps. He travels back and forth to Tauranga regularly as his partner currently resides there. She is also a past YSAR student, avid tramper and member of LSAR, and is a trustee of the Kaimai Ridgeway Trust. They enjoy going on regular tramping adventures together around New Zealand.
With his first-hand knowledge of what it is like to be a YSAR student, his current membership of LSAR, and his postgraduate Emergency training, Tom brings a unique perspective to the YSAR programme. He hopes to impart some of his passion for the outdoors and emergency management to the YSAR students.