A Tauranga boy who sustained severe neck injuries in a diving accident has received a significant boost in his recovery journey.

Te Mero Elder, 12, has been presented with a Mackay-built Starling yacht, thanks to the generosity of Hillsdene Trust, offering a strong symbol of hope and continuity for his passion of sailing.

In February this year Te Mero was swimming at Waimapu Stream in Oropi with his 14-year-old brother, Stormy-Jaye, when he dived off a bank and hit the shallow bottom.

Stormy-Jaye saved Te Mero after realising he was not moving, grabbing him out of the water, and pulling him up onto a sandbank.

The accident left Te Mero with shattered bones in his neck, requiring intensive medical interventions including bone graft and spinal fusion surgeries.

Te Mero Elder, 12, was swimming at Waimapu Stream in Oropi when he dived off a bank and broke his neck. Photos / Alex Cairns, Supplied.

The Tauranga Intermediate School student loves sports, including sailing – which he’d been doing every second weekend – as well as rugby and jiu-jitsu.

Last year Te Mero received a sailing scholarship through the Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust to cover the cost of sailing. This year he’d been looking forward to going to the South Island for a sailing competition at Easter.

Tauranga boy Te Mero Elder in hospital after he broke his neck during a shallow water diving accident. Photo: Supplied.

Tommy Wilson, who had read about Te Mero’s accident, was contacted by the chair of Hillsdene Trust, who as a child also used to jump into the same river and wanted to help.

It wasn’t long before the community connecter linked him up with Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club, which directed him to the BOP Sailing Academy Trust.

“The Hillsdene Trust came to us and said: “We will buy a boat for Te Mero,” says BOPSAT chairman Roger Clark.

“We exist to make sailing attainable by young people who would not normally have that opportunity. We run a school sailing programme that introduces kids to sailing, and when appropriate we make a pathway for kids who love it and want to continue.

“Te Mero was one such kid and has been with us now for about two years.”

Te Mero Elder and Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust chairman Roger Clark with the newly-gifted Starling yacht. Photo: supplied.

At a special ceremony at the club this month, Tommy, representing the Hillsdene Trust, presented the 12-year-old with the yacht, which is aptly named ‘Te Mero’.

“BOPSAT has become the steward of this very generous gift of a Starling class sailing dinghy,” says Roger.

“The Hillsdene Trust have put it into the BOP Sailing Academy for Te Mero’s use for as long as he needs it, then when he grows out of it the boat can be passed down to another young person who can best benefit from it.

“Te Mero is a young man of few words. I’ve been very impressed by his strength of character and everyone who has spent time with him is impressed by his lovely nature.

“It is with great pleasure we name the boat ‘Te Mero’.”

Roger says receiving the Starling will be of special interest to Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club members.

“It was our own Dave Peet’s parents who commissioned Des Townsend to design a mid-range dinghy for kids exiting P Class,” says Roger.

“And it was Dave who at the age of 19 built the first Starling.

“Dave would have liked to be here [for the Te Mero yacht presentation] but had prior commitment and he sends his apologies."

The Starling yacht designed by Desmond Townson and built by David Peet in 1968. Photo: NZ Maritime Museum, Auckland.

The Starling class yac​​​​​​​ht was​​​​​​​ conceived and the design commissioned by John Peet in the late 1960s.  At the time there were no single-handed boats available to teenagers for bridging the gap between the P class and the adult Finn, OK, Cherokee and Zephyr classes. 

Many young sailors were leaving the sport because the step to the adult classes was too great.  A stepping stone class was required.

After consultation with parents of the current P Class sailors, Des Townson, who had designed the successful Zephyr, Mistral and Dart yachts was approached to design the Starling. He completed this in June 1969. 

To confirm the simplicity of the construction concept, teenager David Peet built the prototype as his first boat-building project. 

The Starling was launched at Westhaven, Auckland on Anzac weekend 1970.  Extensive testing of the prototype was completed over the following months by dozens of P class sailors.  Feedback was very supportive and encouraging, with a great deal of enthusiasm expressed for the concept and the finished prototype.

In the early 1970s plans were sold for $4, sails $32 and it was possible to launch a home built Starling for $150.

“That boat is now on display at the Maritime Museum in Auckland,” says Roger of the prototype that David Peet built.

The sight of Te Mero back out on the water, navigating his new yacht ‘Te Mero’, helps draw attention to the vital role of sports and outdoor activities in healing and rehabilitation. It also highlights the generosity of members of the Tauranga community who give their unwavering support.