Hillary Watch Supported Following Low-Speed Road Incident

On Tuesday 14 July 2026, a vehicle driven by an Outward Bound staff member taking 10 students from Hillary Watch to the start of their Bush Expedition was involved in a low-speed accident.

The incident took place on a gravel access road after a section of the road gave way beneath the vehicle.

All occupants were able to safely leave the vehicle, the group were assessed by emergency services and returned to base at Anakiwa.

We are grateful for the swift response and ongoing support of the local police and emergency services, as well as our staff who assisted at the scene. Their professionalism and care helped ensure students were supported throughout.

Police have completed their initial assessment and have advised that the primary cause of the incident was that the road gave way, with no fault attributed to the Outward Bound staff member driving the vehicle.

Following the incident, our instructors and support team have remained focused on the wellbeing of every participant. The group spent time reconnecting through shared activities before continuing with their Outward Bound programme in a well-supported environment.

Over the past few days, students have shown resilience, care for one another and the teamwork that sits at the heart of every Outward Bound course. They have continued with expeditions, reflection sessions and other programmed activities, supported by our experienced instructional team.

We recognise that experiences like this can take time to process. As part of our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing, Outward Bound is offering members of Hillary Watch access to confidential counselling support following their course, should they wish to use it.

We believe it is important to communicate openly about what happened, and we have kept participants' emergency contacts informed throughout the week as the situation has progressed.

We are thankful that the group has been able to continue their Outward Bound journey together, they are looking forward to completing their 21-day course on Sunday 19 July 2026.