The Royal Humane Society Gold Medal was presented to the New Zealand Police in recognition of heroic efforts in saving life from the Wahine disaster. Following this the Historical Medal Society of Australia and New Zealand (Inc.) also produced a set of silver medallions to be presented to organisations and individuals who had distinguished themselves in the rescue. Two pairs of medallions were presented to the police, one to be held in Wellington, the other in Auckland. Although no Auckland members were involved in the rescue, the intention was to recognise the police as a national organisation.
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