Celebrating service to New Zealand Search and Rescue  

3 MINUTE READ

Graeme Hill is Head of Technical Engineering at the Co-operative and has been a volunteer with New Zealand Search and Rescue for over 15 years.

His service was recognised at the NZSAR Awards at parliament earlier this year.

The decision to join the New Zealand Navy was a pivotal one for Graeme Hill.

It marked the beginning of more than a decade of service and included six months on a Royal Naval ship as part of a multinational NATO naval force, a secondment to a US Coastguard Icebreaker in Antarctica, and twelve months in southern Lebanon and Egypt as a United Nations peacekeeper (Military Observer).

When he returned from the Middle East in 2006, Graeme felt it was time for a career change and joined the electricity sector, starting a role at Mighty River Power (now Mercury). He joined Fonterra in 2022, where he now leads a team responsible for providing deep technical engineering expertise across the Co-op. 

Working in tight knit teams within SAR can be very challenging in terms of the nature of the situations we encounter. But it can be equally rewarding, being able to return a missing person to their loved ones.

Graeme Hill, Head of Technical Engineering, fonterra

Graeme says he enjoys the complex nature of his work and the challenges that come with it.

“I have the privilege of leading a team within Global Engineering of highly skilled and experienced professionals who are passionate and focussed on the work they do.

“I’m very proud of what we deliver for our stakeholders and ultimately for our farmer shareholders.”

For more than 15 years, Graeme has been a volunteer member with Hamilton Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) and the national search and rescue dog group in New Zealand, LandSAR Dogs. His experience in LandSAR includes deployment in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011.

For eight years, Graeme worked as a volunteer operational handler with two search and rescue (SAR) dogs – German Shepherds, Gemma and Odin. Together they attended over 120 operations and were directly responsible for finding 23 missing persons.

“It was pretty special having trained a lot as a team and then working closely with my SAR colleagues, deploying in some pretty testing conditions,” says Graeme.

After Gemma and Odin retired in 2018, Graeme joined the LandSAR Dogs trainer and assessor team and became a qualified SAR Dog Assessor and Trainer. 

The volunteer role has seen him travel to Australia twice to co-lead the operational assessments of the Australian SAR K9 (canine) teams with a colleague, working alongside the Victoria police. 

“That was a great experience. Working in tight knit teams within SAR can be very challenging in terms of the nature of the situations we encounter. But it can be equally rewarding, being able to return a missing person to their loved ones.”

In May, Graeme was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by NZSAR in Parliament for his service and commitment to New Zealand LandSAR Dogs and SAR in the Waikato region.

“The award was amazing recognition for not only my volunteer work with SAR, but also for my two dogs (who have since passed), supporters, and of course my awesome colleagues in the wider SAR community.”

According to New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, Graeme has made extensive contributions to developing the Search and Rescue Dog resources in New Zealand. 

“Graeme played a pivotal role in developing standard operating procedures and workshops for combined tracking teams, which has significantly improved the effectiveness of the search and rescue dog teams across the nation.”

In his spare time, you’ll find Graeme with his family and friends, surfing, training for SAR, running, and relaxing with a good coffee or with some quiet time by the fire.

Find out more about New Zealand Search and Rescue here