By Mary Thurston, New Zealand High Commission Honiara
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) visited Honiara 13–15 July as part of New Zealand’s ongoing commitment to the Solomon Islands border management and protecting its waters against illegal fishing.
RNZAF supports Solomon Islands
New Zealand is responsible for patrolling more than six million square miles of ocean, including much of the South Pacific, against Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Illegal fishing is estimated to cost Pacific Island countries up to US$350 million per year.
“New Zealand works closely with regional partners, including Solomon Islands, to target illegal fishing. This work is done through the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and by RNZAF P-3K Orion patrols,” said New Zealand High Commissioner Deborah Panckhurst.
During the visit, Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Superintendent Silas Karani joined the RNZAF patrol to fly around the edge of the Solomon Islands Economic Exclusion Zone. "RSIPF relies on good-quality evidence collection to build successful cases. Watching the RNZAF crew at work reinforced how inter-agency co-operation can contribute to this process," said Superintendent Karani.
Two FFA surveillance operations officers, Martin Campbell and Allan Rahari, also took part in the patrol. “The flight gave us a great opportunity to work with one of our key surveillance partners. We were able to see how information provided by FFA fits into RNZAF operations to result in an effective patrol,” said Campbell. “We also discussed with the RNZAF crew how we could work more efficiently to improve the service that we offer together to the region,” added Rahari.
A fishing vessel
Another significant task for the RNZAF in the Pacific is search and rescue operations, and disaster response assessment and assistance. In February 2009 an RNZAF Orion patrol was asked to fly over West Guadalcanal to take photos of extensive damage caused by heavy rain and flooding. The photos were then provided to the Solomon Islands Ministry of Infrastructure to help the Ministry target its recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
“It’s satisfying to know that New Zealand’s collaboration with Solomon Islands and regional partners can make a difference,” said Deborah Panckhurst.