Nearly two years after a 19-year-old died from a shark attack, the coroner has recommended tagging and monitoring the growing great white shark population.
Lifeguards were just metres away from Kaelah Marlow, who was caught in a rip at Waihī Beach when she was attacked by a shark.
Efforts are now being made to prevent similar deaths in the future.
"It's nerve-wracking coming up to another summer where I've already got reports of white sharks in there and I know there's going to be a million Aucklanders going down there for a swim soon," shark expert Dr Riley Elliot told Newshub.
Dr Elliot said there are gaps in the research on great white sharks.
"Historically they've been absent and rare, yet over the past three summers we've seen a huge increase and persistence of them."
A sentiment the coroner agreed with.
Among the recommendations was to tag and monitor New Zealand's growing great white shark population.
"Every time the shark comes to the surface, the tag does too. [It] hits a satellite, it comes right to my computer and that data is streamed live," Dr Elliot said.
Lifeguard towers were also recommended to help with shark sightings.
"Most of our patrol locations do have towers. The ones that we don't have any towers for at the moment, we're just limited by the funding that we receive," Surf Lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campell told Newshub.
"We're exploring the use of drones and how they might play into patrol operations."
It's a cause close to the hearts of the Marlow family.
"We received a generous donation from Kaelah's family, which enabled the club to purchase two mobile patrol towers, which have now been deployed and used at the two locations on Waihī Beach," Gibbons-Campbell said.
In the report, the coroner praised those who went to the teenager's aid.
"It's really important to note that they did everything they could with what they had available to them," Gibbons-Campbell said
He added while it was a tragedy those involved are still lifeguarding.
