Peter Button

In the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours, Button was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to search and rescue operations.

[3] On 2 July 1986, the police launch Lady Elizabeth II capsized in heavy seas at the entrance to Wellington Harbour whilst on a training mission.

On 18 November 1987, Governor General Paul Reeves awarded Button the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his part in the rescue of the crew from the Lady Elizabeth II.

On 20 November 1987, two days after receiving his Queen's Gallantry Medal, Button was piloting Bell JetRanger ZK-HKF on a flight with local photographer Ronald Woolf and property developer Dion Savage.

During the search Button's helicopter drifted into high voltage transmission lines, lost both rotor blades, and crashed in Churton Park killing all three on board.