The New Zealand Army has been working from dawn to dusk to support the people of Christchurch following the weekend’s massive earthquake.
Soldiers from Burnham Camp in Christchurch have been supporting the local police with cordoning off parts of the city, rotating 80 soldiers at a time for 12-hour shifts.
The soldiers, from 2/1 Battalion, are doing these shifts for as long as they are needed. Additional support when needed is being provided by a reserve force from Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles and Mortars and the ongoing management of Army communications is being conducted by 3 Signals Squadron.
The Chief of Army, Major General Rhys Jones has visited Burnham and Christchurch accompanied by Commander 3LFG, to survey the situation, and to reinforce Army's support to the city. He met with the Mayor Bob Parker, the head of the Canterbury Police and the head of Civil Defence. He also spent time in Burnham, talking with soldiers and surveying the damage around camp and at the West Melton Rifle Range.
The Army's Territorial Force has been playing its part too, with 30 soldiers from 2 Canterbury NMWC Battalion supporting Operation Chicken Rescue - rescuing 23,000 chickens from a farm in Weedons after coops were wrecked in the quake.
The Army has liaison officers working with the Civil Defence Emergency Management team, the Christchurch City Council City Council and the Police. They have been doing this since the earthquake happened and will remain deployed until further notice.
Soldiers are staffing the cordon to the city centre, working with the police, but the cordon area has shrunk back to just a few streets and business owners are now allowed into the area to survey the damage.
An Engineer Troop has moved into the suburb of Bexley to help the local residents remove silt. They will remain there until further notice. Army Environmental Health teams are helping out at the Christchurch Public Hospital, and they are working with the Ministry of Health.
The extra police teams sent to Christchurch from throughout New Zealand are being accommodated at Burnham Camp, and the Army is providing them with transport.
"The Police have been extremely impressed by the professional commitment of the NZDF with the assisting of Police in the cordons around the Christchurch central city area," said Inspector John Price. "We value their assistance and the manner in which they have gone about the task at hand. This was a partnership and team approach between Police and NZDF, and in a crisis situation such as this civil emergency the strengths of both organisations come together for the benefit of our communities. Having the Army on the ground has provided a huge amount of reassurance for the people of Christchurch."