A fundraiser has been started to support the search and rescue operation for Michael MacGregor, also known as Michael Namana, who went missing in the Mt. Holdsworth area a week ago.
Over the weekend, more than 100 volunteers joined family, friends, police, land search and rescue [Landsar] in the search.
Last week saw wet weather conditions in the mountains, and while the worst weather has cleared, the temperature dropped below freezing yesterday morning.
Family spokesperson Janelle Field said they needed to crowdfund to keep the operation going.
“The family have been off work all week, and money is getting tight; most of the family’s hunting for him live week by week,” Field said.
She said they were trying to raise money to get another helicopter up, either looking for MacGregor or dropping Landsar people into the location so they could search longer.
She said Family members had paid $1800 per hour to get a helicopter in the air, as they believe he has fallen and hurt himself in a location which searchers can’t get down to.
Field said the family have been tying orange ribbons to the searched areas to avoid double-ups.
“We thank everyone for their support and ask everyone to dig deep to bring Mikey home.”
The family has asked for food for the searching volunteers: snap lock bags, nuts, chips, apples, toilet rolls, coleslaw, ham, cheese, and biscuits.
They also asked for drone operators to help search areas that are difficult to reach on foot.
Police search and rescue said on Friday that the weekend’s search would be focussed near Atiwhakatu Stream, and the canyoning team would be searching in the water. They said there were no further updates as of last night.
Supplies for volunteers can be dropped at 18 Kippenberger St in east Masterton or directly to Mt Holdsworth.
Donations can be made to bank account 06 0689 0233225 01.
