A person has died after rafting in a Canterbury river, police have confirmed.
In a statement, police said it is understood the person died at the scene after an incident in the Clarence River on Saturday afternoon.
The person is understood to have been rafting.
WorkSafe has been notified and police are making inquiries on behalf of the coroner.
The Clarence River is a major waterway which flows through the Kaikōura Ranges and at about 209km long is the longest river in Canterbury.
The manager of Clarence River Rafting, Ben Judge, said news of the death was very sad, saying the incident had nothing to do with his company or any of the other three operators who have concessions on the river.
“It would look like it was not a commercial raft trip, it was a private raft trip,” Judge said.
“I can’t 100 per cent confirm that but I can absolutely, 100 per cent confirm it wasn’t Clarence River Rafting,” said Judge, who said he had been in communication with the other companies who confirmed the incident did not occur on one of their river trips.
-With NZ Herald
