USAR personnel
The Defence Force provided vital assistance to Canterbury in the wake of the earthquake on 4 September 2010.
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell said the crisis kept the Defence Force busy. “It was a massive team effort on the ground and behind the scenes for Navy, Army and Air Force, with our people pulling out all the stops to help the Canterbury region.”
Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 40 Squadron sent a C-130 Hercules aircraft and a Boeing 757 aircraft from Base Auckland to assist Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and NZ Army efforts in Christchurch. This included16 flights in and out of Christchurch to transport:
- 57 USAR personnel
- Three USAR dogs
- 11 building officials, and
- 83 Police and equipment.
Private Vigus
RNZAF No. 3 Squadron sent two Iroquois helicopters from Base Ohakea to help officials to complete building assessments from the air, and to check damage to stopbanks and other areas. No. 42 Squadron, RNZAF assisted with providing transport for the Prime Minister and other senior Ministers. On the ground, approximately 400 Regular Force and Reserve soldiers from 3rd Land Force Group (Burnham) provided support, while Naval Reserve personnel from HMNZS Pegasus assisted with clean up and recovery operations. Teams of 65 soldiers worked 12 hour shifts to support the Police by manning the cordoned areas, while Engineers worked in Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Christchurch suburbs to remove silt.
FLTLTs Russell and Lloyd
The Defence Force also assisted Corrections, moving more than 300 prisoners from Christchurch to prisons in the North Island. Three Environmental Health Teams from the New Zealand Army and RNZAF assisted the Canterbury District Health Board with water testing, and six NZ Army Physical Training Instructors worked as shift supervisors at the Addington Raceway Welfare Centre. Burnham Military Camp provided catering and accommodation support to Police, Civil Defence Emergency Management, Christchurch City Council, Waimakariri District Council, and the Hon Gerry Brownlee’s office. The Army sent 120 personnel from 1RNZIR to assist with the security patrols that were conducted with NZ police. They were in Canterbury for a week to provide relief for the 3LFG personnel who have been providing assistance since 4 September. A key part of the Defence effort was providing leadership to teams of civilian volunteers who turned out in their hundreds to assist the community. AVM Stockwell said, “It was heartbreaking to see the damage and the disruption to people’s lives, and we worked with other agencies to respond to the needs of Christchurch in a positive way.”