Bravery awards follow tragic Glenorchy drowning and rescue

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has congratulated the ten people honoured today in the 2025 New Zealand Bravery Awards.

The awards include people involved in drowning and rescue events at Glenorchy on the 19 January 2023.

Two drownings within a week at a Glenorchy swimming prompted a coroner to urge more steps be taken in the district to keep the public safe in and around rivers.

The victims - 48-year-old Wānaka father Leroy Rodney James Kaaho and 35-year-old Sydney holidaymaker Jonathan Jordan Young - died days apart after entering Lake Wakatipu in attempts to save children already in the water and in trouble.

In both incidents, swimmers were caught out by the force of flow from the Rees River, where it enters the lake.

This is the citation released by the Government in announcing today's bravery awards:

"On the afternoon of 19 January 2023, a young boy was playing in the Rees River when he was pulled by the current downriver and into Lake Wakatipu, in the vicinity of Glenorchy wharf. The boy panicked when he was unable to touch the bottom or swim against the current, becoming submerged at the confluence of the river and lake.

Sergeant Harshad Ghodke, an off-duty Police officer, was nearby with his family and swam out to help the boy. He experienced a strong undertow that prevented him from swimming back with the boy, advising him to float on his back while he went to get more help. Another man on the other side of the river, Mr Jonny Young, saw Sergeant Ghodke swimming back without the boy and decided to swim out to help. Mr Young reached the boy and began pulling him, but they were separated and Mr Young stopped swimming due to exhaustion.

Sergeant Ghodke was yelling and waving, trying to attract the attention of boats on the lake. Another holidaymaker from Australia, Ms Susan Burke, was passing by and talked with Ghodke about swimming out to help. Ms Burke spotted Mr Young and the boy about 15 metres from the shore. Already in swimwear, she approached the pair, noting the water dropped off sharply around 10 metres from shore.

Ms Burke reached the boy, who was calm and floating on his back. While aware of Mr Young nearby in the water, she focused on the boy. She hooked her arm around the boy’s chest and swam him towards the shore. At this time, Mr Young was around seven metres from the shore and did not signal any distress before his head went underwater and he disappeared from view. As Ms Burke returned with the boy, she became aware of people yelling “he’s gone under” from the shore. As Ms Burke reached the shore, Sergeant Ghodke waded out and took the boy from her, telling her to go back out to help Mr Young.

Ms Burke swam to her prior location but could not see Mr Young. She duck-dived to see if she could see anything under the water. Two other men swam out to join her and Ms Burke ducked under the water a few more times, but was very tired by this point. The trio then agreed they couldn’t see anything and stopped searching to return to shore. Back on land, Ms Burke was struggling to breathe with exercise-induced asthma and was supported by ambulance staff who arrived shortly afterwards. Mr Young had unfortunately drowned in his attempt to rescue the boy and his body was recovered the following day.

Ms Burke’s actions ensured the rescue of the young boy and, while tired from her efforts, she committed to searching for Mr Young to the limit of her ability."

Joint personal statement of Susan Burke and Sergeant Harshad Ghodke.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers remain with Jonathan Young’s family who tragically lost his life during this incident at Glenorchy on 19 January 2023. We appreciate the honour of being recognised with these bravery awards; however, we wish to emphasise that our actions were simply a response to a child in immediate danger.

The rescue was a collective effort, and we wish to acknowledge the courage shown by Jonathan, whose actions demonstrated profound selflessness. This was an extremely challenging and emotional event.”

Personal statement of next of kin, Ms Hsu Tin (partner).

"It is my truest honour to be receiving this New Zealand Bravery Award on behalf of Jonathan Young from the NZ government. I would like to firstly thank all the help I received from all of you, especially from a female New Zealand police officer who helped me survive the day I lost him. Without her incredible kindness and sympathy, I wouldn’t have known how I got through that day alone in a foreign country having lost my fiancé and my best friend of over 15 years.

A part of me wishes that it was Jonny himself accepting this award. It’s an honour of my life to have been loved by this man who had always put others first - the reason why we’re all here and he isn’t. Jonny was the kindest and most loving fiancé, son, brother, uncle and a caring cat dad to our orange boy Benny.

For Jonny, the 35 years he got to live on this earth- he had always lived the right way and did all the right things. He was smart, sporty, kind, helpful and strong inside and out - a textbook perfect man. All those of us who have loved and known him will never recover from having lost him and we have had to learn to heal this big void he left in us through his memories and the love he left us with.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind all the parents how important water safety is for children and to be wary in foreign environments where you’re not familiar with.

Jonny loved living. In a way, he died for his love of living. For a boy to continue on living, in return he gave away his. When I think of Jonny, I will forever think of courage, kindness and most of all selflessness. He will forever hold the biggest space in our hearts and forever be missed and remembered for his bravery.”

The eight recipients of the New Zealand Bravery Medal, and two recipients of the NZ Bravery Decoration are: