Warning: This story contains graphic content 

• An award-winning businessman was rescued from the water near Great Barrier Island and flown to intensive care. 
• David Allan and friends performed CPR and used a defibrillator to revive the man before emergency services arrived. 
• The man remains in hospital with significant injuries after the incident at Medlands Beach. 

An award-winning New Zealand businessman due to appear in a local television series was flown to intensive care after being plucked face-down from the water near Great Barrier Island. 

A rescuer has described the moment he saw the man floating lifelessly, before rushing into the water, pulling him ashore and keeping him alive with CPR and a defibrillator before the victim was airlifted to hospital in Auckland. 

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson confirmed it was notified of a water-related incident at Medlands Beach on Sandhills Rd, Great Barrier, at 5.33pm on Saturday. 

“One helicopter, one first response unit and one prime responder attended. One patient, in a serious condition, was airlifted to Middlemore Hospital.” 

A Sky TV spokeswoman confirmed to the Herald a contributor to a series set to air this year “suffered an injury” at Medlands Beach. 

“This injury was sustained after filming had wrapped in a different location, and their involvement in the series had concluded. 

“We were extremely shocked and saddened to be alerted of the incident. The production company are in contact with the individual and their family and offering ongoing support.” 

The Herald has decided not to name the man for privacy reasons. 

One of the rescuers, David Allan, told the Herald he and a group of four mates had been on an annual trip to Great Barrier at the weekend and were the only ones on Medlands Beach before the incident occurred. 

“He [the businessman] just came down to the beach and jumped into the water. We were just talking and lost sight of him when he went behind the breakers,” Allan said. 

“All of a sudden we could see a body ... [his] back was poking out of the water.” 

Surfers on Medland Beach, Great Barrier. Photo / Carol Comer 

Allan described the frantic effort of the five men rushing out to the body, about 15m out to sea. Allan said he was the first to reach the stricken man. He flipped him over and saw the man’s face was purple. 

“It was incredibly hard to get out to him and then move a body that [was] like a big sack of spuds. We couldn’t get him out of the water quick enough really.” 

The unconscious man was pulled to the shoreline before the group enlisted the help of a woman on the beach, who remarkably happened to be a nurse. 

“She cleared his airways and then another guy showed up who was a surf lifesaver and he took over at that point because we were exhausted. It all happened in the space of about 20 minutes,” Allan said. 

The group performed CPR on the man, who fell in and out of consciousness before he allegedly stopped breathing completely. 

“He suffered a cardiac arrest on the beach but there was a defibrillator at Tryphena so we got that. They thought he may have broken his neck. 

“He had white stuff pouring out of his mouth and he was so purple ... You could see death in the face, you couldn’t see his eyes because there was blood all over them.” 

Allan described the situation as “terrible” and said it “felt like an eternity” before emergency services arrived at the scene, including a rescue helicopter. 

The man was airlifted to Middlemore in a serious condition. 

Allan said if the group had not been on the beach, the man likely would have died. 

“I’ve got no idea what I was even doing half the time, it’s not something you want to have to go through. You get one chance to help someone and if you don’t it’s all over, it’s pretty sobering. 

“From our point of view, we did all we could. We didn’t want this guy to pass away on our shift so we were pretty animated about this.” 

The Herald understands the man remains in hospital with significant injuries. 

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.