Photography: Alice Veysey,
Former NZSAS soldier and helicopter pilot Mark Law is no stranger to life-threatening situations. From an ambush by armed rebels in war-torn Angola and fighting for his life against a flesh-eating disease, to leading the desperate rescue of 12 stranded tourists after the Whakaari/White Island eruption, he’s faced more than his share of danger.
As Mark, 54, chats with Woman’s Day about his new memoir, Lucky You’re Tough, he reflects on these stories from his action-packed life, revealing how one of our country’s most celebrated rescue missions, which saw him awarded New Zealand’s second highest civilian bravery award, almost cost him everything.
Mark and his now-wife Chanel Law were driving home to Whakatāne from Tauranga on 9 December 2019, when they saw a large plume of smoke rising from Whakaari.
At the time, tourist flights to the island were the main source of income for his company Kāhu Helicopters. He called several people who confirmed the volcano had erupted.
“We didn’t have anyone on the island at the time, but Tim Barrow of Volcanic Air Safaris told me one of his pilots and four other people were still there. I said I’d fly straight out and have a look.”
As Mark hovered above the island, he could see people in a tourist boat on the water and many others stranded on the crater floor. He made a precarious landing amid little visibility and thick ash blanketing everything.
“It was like being on another planet,” he recalls.
“Everything was covered in ash – even the people were just grey outlines.”
From hero to criminal
Without stopping to weigh up the risks, Mark donned a gas mask and swept the crater floor, locating 20 people, including eight who had already died. Two of his Kāhu pilots, Jason Hill and Tom Storey, arrived in another chopper soon after to help with the dramatic rescue.
“About halfway through the recovery, we heard there were no official rescue helicopters coming – we were it,” says Mark, adding the danger was heightened when another plume erupted from the volcano.
“It was a grim task moving the badly burned people into the helicopters. Most of them weren’t strong enough to help themselves.”
Tim Barrow and Graeme Hopcroft from Volcanic Air Safaris arrived in two more helicopters, and within 40 minutes, the five private operators had evacuated all 12 injured people from the island. Sadly, only two people survived, but the rescue at least gave them all a chance.
Mark says it was “bitter-sweet” to be awarded the New Zealand Bravery Star for his efforts only to have Kāhu slapped with a six-figure penalty by Worksafe, with charges relating to paperwork on its past tours to the island.
“It was a weird experience,” admits Mark.
“One minute you’re a hero and the next you’re a criminal. I’d already lost most of my business after the eruption, then the bureaucracy of the time wanted blood.”
The battle that followed
A public outcry saw more than 140,000 Kiwis sign a petition in support of Mark, but it had no impact on the charges.
The gesture was “a straight-up snapshot of good New Zealanders”.
After three years of stress and financially crippling legal wrangles, he pleaded guilty, not because he believed he was, but to bring the saga to an end, accepting a reduced fine of $196,000.
It was a challenging time and rocky start to Mark and Chanel’s relationship, with the couple getting together not long before the disaster.
Chanel, 47, says Mark’s strong, steady approach to life has made the challenges easier to bear.
“Mark doesn’t really have ups and downs,” says the Pilates instructor and administrator.
“The odd friend turns up for a cup of tea because they need a dose of Mark’s positivity. He’s so easy to hang out with.”
Mark feels the same way about his wife.
“Nothing is too complicated with Chanel. She is very stoic and thoughtful.”
The experience with Worksafe prompted Mark to write Lucky You’re Tough with author Ron Crosby.
“Ron pestered me!” he laughs.
“We have an association with the bush, flying and the military. He’s heard a few of my yarns over the years and said, ‘Let’s write a book and see if we can do something to help take care of that fine.’”
A life built for danger
The book features Mark’s White Island story alongside other hair-raising tales from a life shaped by his isolated upbringing in the rural wilds of Whangaōmona.
“I loved the remoteness, growing up as a farming kid with guns, hunting and the bush,” remembers Mark.
“I originally thought about joining the army but was determined to get into the special forces by the timeI was 17.”
Mark became a badged member of the NZSAS when he was 20, thriving on the intense training regime. After a few overseas deployments and a “soul-destroying” attempt at selection for the British SAS, he started working in private security in some of the world’s most dangerous war-torn countries.
“Several of my friends got into it and the money was good,” he tells.
“I’m comfortable in places where there is danger and risk, so I knew I could handle myself.”
Mark’s elite special forces training came flooding back during a stint in Angola while providing security for diamond company De Beers. When rebels ambushed his vehicle in search of gemstones and cash, Mark rescued his badly wounded companions, found medical help and made a daring escape by plane with the diamonds strapped to his chest.
By the time he came back to New Zealand in the late ’90s to start his own helicopter business, Mark was just 27.
“It’s not until I look back I realise I packed a fair bit into those years!” he grins.
Finding his way back to normal
After working mainly in animal recovery work here and overseas, Mark eventually moved into tourism. In 2019, he imported New Zealand’s first Black Hawk helicopter to specialise in heavy lifting work, buying it with insurance money from his brush with the flesh-eating disease necrotising fasciitis.
“I caught it in the middle of the Godzone Adventure Race the previous year. The disease was rampant and at one stage things weren’t looking good. Thanks to the talented people at Dunedin Hospital, I got through it aWhite Island hero Mark Law reveals the toll of his life-changing rescuend kept my leg.”
After all his challenges, Mark is happy life has returned to “ops normal” with steady work for the Black Hawk’s niche business and a growing market in aerial fire-fighting.
“The business takes us to some amazing locations,” explains Chanel.
“We’re often on a road trip somewhere beautiful, doing a reccy for an upcoming job.”
The couple, who married in February 2024, loves getting into the outdoors together, although Chanel laughingly admits to some trouble keeping up with the “mountain goat”, adding that they’re “real foodies” and enjoy dining out on their date nights.
For a humble man, putting his extraordinary story into the world came with a few reservations, but Mark loved finding a proof copy of Lucky You’re Tough in the letterbox when he and Chanel got home from a recent trip.
Mark enthuses, “It’s pretty cool to see it come together. Everyone’s done a great job.”
Lucky You’re Tough by Mark Law ($40, Allen & Unwin) is on shelves Tuesday.
