Military Training Safety Under Scrutiny After Fatal NZSAS Fall
A coronial inquest into the death of decorated NZSAS soldier Kahotea has exposed critical gaps in military training protocols, raising serious questions about safety practices within New Zealand's elite special forces.
The inquiry has shifted focus from the circumstances of Kahotea's fatal fall during a 2019 training exercise to examining systemic failures in the military's safety framework and the reforms implemented since.
Training Boss Unprepared for Critical Questions
Army training chief Hayward faced intense questioning about safety improvements but admitted he had not read a crucial WorkSafe investigation report that was sitting in front of him throughout the proceedings.
When counsel Catherine Cull, KC, attempted to examine him on the report's safety recommendations, Hayward acknowledged: "I have not had a chance to read those recommendations."
The court was forced to adjourn to allow Hayward time to review the material, highlighting concerning gaps in institutional knowledge about safety reforms.
Fatal Training Exercise Details Emerge
Kahotea, a father and decorated soldier, died during a joint training exercise with US Green Berets and the elite "Night Stalkers" aviation unit at South Auckland's Battle Training Facility.
The exercise involved a dangerous "wheel bump" technique, where helicopters use their wheels as braces against buildings to rapidly deploy soldiers. Critically, this was attempted for the first time at night, wearing vision-restricting goggles, with no prior rehearsals.
This violated the NZSAS's established "crawl-walk-run" training protocol, which requires graduated practice of new techniques under increasingly challenging conditions.
System-Wide Reforms Implemented
Hayward testified that significant changes have been made since Kahotea's death, including new training documents that explicitly outline the "crawl-walk-run" methodology.
"It specifically talks about that process. It also specifies day and night. If you're going to do night activities then you must have done it during the day," he explained.
The reforms included "Plan Anzac," which saw New Zealand adopt Australian training policies, with both countries now having representatives on each other's military training boards.
Soldiers Describe Fatal Night
NZSAS personnel, identified only by numerical call signs for security reasons, provided harrowing testimony about the moments leading to Kahotea's fall.
Soldier 63 described the appeal of learning new skills: "It's always good to get new skills under your belt." Regarding night operations, he noted: "It didn't matter to us. We do so much training at night."
However, a last-minute location change meant soldiers were deploying onto a two-storey building rather than the planned single-storey drop, significantly increasing the fall distance and reducing survival chances.
Soldier 64 described the critical moment: "I saw the gap and it was one metre. I had already decided not to go and wait for the helicopter to get closer. There's no way I could get across there."
Progress on Safety Metrics
While Hayward reported that serious training injuries had halved since 2022, he admitted uncertainty about the causes due to incomplete safety tracking systems.
The NZSAS operates as one of New Zealand's three strategic military assets, alongside Navy frigates and Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft, requiring constant readiness for deployment.
Hayward described the unit as "the 111 of the military," emphasizing the critical nature of their role and the need for rigorous training standards.
Ongoing Questions About Accountability
The inquest continues to examine whether current reforms adequately address the systemic issues that contributed to Kahotea's death. Coroner Tania Tetitaha is considering additional recommendations to prevent similar tragedies.
The case highlights broader questions about military training safety, institutional accountability, and the balance between operational readiness and personnel protection in New Zealand's defense forces.