Wanaka police and Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) volunteers are rallying together after what has been a particularly grim start to 2012.
Since New Year's day, five search and rescue operations have been launched in the Upper Clutha, three ending in fatalities.
Wanaka police SAR co-ordinator Senior Constable Mike Johnston said it had been a "very testing week" for everyone involved.
"There have been [counselling] sessions for members who have been directly involved with the fatalities, in particular Dion Latta," he said, referring to the 15-year-old who was rescued from a waterfall in the Motatapu Gorge, near Wanaka on January 2, and later died in hospital.
While it was police policy to make such services available to volunteers, a clinical psychologist had been specifically brought in by police to facilitate a debrief with Dion's rescuers.
"Because of the intensity of that particular operation, it was decided that we would ... put a session on and make it open to the group ... to help people emotionally process the situations and the stresses that they've been under."
The session enabled volunteers to support each other and understand they were not alone in experiencing grief.
"We grieve with the families, not as much obviously, but we do grieve with them."
LandSAR New Zealand chairman and LandSAR Wanaka volunteer Phil Melchior said LandSAR Wanaka was one of the busiest search and rescue volunteer groups in the country, dealing on average with one operation about every 10 days and three or four fatalities a year.
However, the usual annual number of fatalities had "all stacked up" in just over a week and there had been a total of nine fatalities in the past 12 months.
"It's been an unusually high number and there's no particular sort of thread between them. My theory is that every year lots of people get away with lots of stuff and so far this year people have not been getting away with things," Mr Melchior said.
For some volunteers, the stress of repeat searches had a delayed impact.
"They find that everything mounts up and some people are affected more than others, obviously, but I think everybody understands that there's no loss of face or shame in getting a bit of professional help or counselling on these things."
He agreed rescuers were particularly "shaken up" after Dion's rescue, but it "goes with the territory".
"It's what they sign up for ... and I think generally the biggest motivator for the volunteers involved in search and rescue right around the country really is 'one day it might be me that needs help, or it might be my mates that need help', and that's why we do it."
Tough 12 months
• February 3, 2011: Cromwell man found dead at the Red Bridge across the Clutha River, at Luggate. Referred to coroner.
• April 27, 2011: Graham Stott (31), of Wanaka, and Marcus Hoogvliet (21), of Queenstown, killed when their helicopter crashed in the Mt Aspiring National Park.
• June 26, 2011: German tramper Julian Stukenborg (23) in fatal fall in Mt Aspiring National Park.
• August 29, 2011: German man Rene Weisswange (25) missing on Lake Hawea. Body not recovered.
• November 17, 2011: Wanaka man Trevor Hawke drowns in Lake Wanaka.
• December 31, 2011: Michael Gillard Taylor (60), of Wellington, dies in a fall in Mt Aspiring National Park.
• January 1, 2012: Nenthorn Valley teenager Dion Latta (15) rescued from Motatapu Gorge, and later dies in hospital.
• January 9, 2012: Alexandra hunter Matthew Laing (23) died in fall above Rob Roy Valley.
