By Judith Martin
When huge waves and hurricane force winds smashed over Niue in January 2004, Marie Etuata wondered what would become of the tiny island and its thousand or so residents.
The mother of four young children helped evacuate the resort she manages, before battening down her family’s wooden house. She sat in the dark with her husband and waited as Cyclone Heta proceeded to devastate Niue.
It sent waves up and over 30 metre-high cliffs, sweeping away everything in their path, including the local hospital, museum, hotel, and many small businesses.
“We sent the children to a neighbour who had a solid concrete home. The cyclone reached its peak in the day but it was so dark it seemed like the middle of the night.
The noise was deafening. Our roof was blown away, and we lost just about everything, but we were all ok, so we decided to stay. Niue is our home”.
A mother and her young baby died, and Marie and 200 other Niueans were left homeless by the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Heta. They were rehoused, and the island and its residents have spent the past 17 months slowly recovering from the pounding they received.
That recovery process escalated at the end of May when 120 New Zealand Army personnel descended on the island and set to building an industrial park, rebuilding sea tracks, clearing a vine-choked tramping track, and conducting health and first-aid training clinics. They ensured the island’s works depot was up to scratch and all its equipment repaired and functional. And at the same time as Niue’s industry and tourism was being given a hand up, the teeth of each of its 500 primary and secondary children were being checked and treated by a New Zealand Defence Force dental team.
The Army was in Niue not just to help the locals, but also to help itself. The three weeks the soldiers and officers spent on the island provided them with training opportunities in a tropical environment, while at the same time providing practical help for one of New Zealand’s near neighbours. NZAID (the New Zealand International Aid and Development Agency) provided funding for the work, and the Army provided the manpower and expertise, sourced mainly from 2 Engineer Regiment.
Niue, a coral island ringed by high, rugged cliffs, is an island which boasts sparkling clear pools and deep diving valleys filled with coral gardens and a myriad of sea life. It relies heavily on its tropical waters for fishing, and as a diving and snorkelling attraction; when Heta struck however, not only were businesses and houses swept away but the tracks to the lagoons and sea became clogged with coral boulders, and concrete pathways were washed away.
On the Limu track at the northwestern side of the island, Army field engineer Sapper Mark Barker used a jackhammer to smash rock from the little path that leads to a popular fishing, swimming and snorkelling area.
Under the burning, early afternoon sun it was not an easy task, but the young soldier enjoyed himself, and relished the thought of the dip he and his mates would take at the end of the day.
“With this sort of work you get to see something for your efforts. It’s good to get away from home and be able to give someone a hand.”
Further along the track, carpenters built small footbridges, over-ramps, stairs and handrails, and concreted paths and ledges.
When the engineers left they donated the equipment they used - quad bikes, trailers and tools - to the Niue tourism board so that it could maintain its sea tracks and scenic site locations itself.
The waves that crashed over the northern face of Niue washed most of the small businesses near the cliff face into the ocean. One of the Kiwi solders’ tasks was to construct one of two kitset buildings that will form an industrial park on a site inland from the devastated area. The construction project, which was expected to take 18 days to complete, means the businesses lost in the cyclone can reestablish themselves. It also provided on-the-job training for local tradesmen, arming them with sufficient knowledge and experience to maintain the second kitset building themselves.
Sapper Charles Manumua (above) works on the industrial park building, while (right) four of his colleagues finish off building a footbridge on Limu Track
Clockwise, Sapper Brent Brady clears vines from the Vinivini Track, Sapper Mark Ruddle sharpens his chainsaw; contingent commander Major Ants Blythen with Niue High Commissioner Sandra Lee-Vercoe; Land Component Commander Brigadier Warren Whiting (centre) discusses progress with from left, Major Jim Josephs, Warrant Officer Class One Mike Ross, Warrant Officer Dave McLellan, and Mr David Gibb.
On the other side of the island, wielding chainsaws and scrub cutters, other teams of soldiers worked their way through the lush, overgrown Vinivini Track. The track, which meanders through the Huvalu Conservation Area, is seven kilometres of tropical rainforest, and is a significant tourist attraction. After Heta, part of it became impassable, with trees fallen across the track, and vines and scrub growing amongst the fallen debris.
Contingent commander Major Ants Blythen from Lintonbased 2 Engineer Regiment, says the tasks his soldiers completed on Niue were decided in consultation with the local community and NZAID.
“They gave us a list of tasks, and we decided what we could feasibly do. It took a lot of planning, and it was a bit of a challenge coordinating our arrival with our materials and equipment, which were brought up here using commercial shipping and an RNZAF freight flight.”
With a shortage of manpower on the island – most Niueans live in New Zealand –the locals were obviously pleased at having new faces – and workers – in their midst. A shipping delay meant the soldiers arrived a week before some of their kit. Within hours of the word going out, dozens of trucks and cars began arriving with a variety of mattresses, pillows and brightly coloured duvets for the soldiers to use in the meantime.
The first aid classes the Kiwis ran in villages throughout the island were fully subscribed, and most of the 500 primary and college age children on the island were on first names terms with Army dental officer Major Andy Gray and Army dental hygienist Warrant Officer Denise Mariu.
Salt spray from the cyclone ruined two of the island’s three dental chairs, and as a consequence dental care has fallen behind. The pair checked the teeth of every child, did whatever dental work was necessary, and instigated a dental health education programme.
The commanding officer of 2 Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Phil Morrison, who, with Major Blythen established what tasks could be completed on Niue, said his soldiers did an excellent job.
“This exercise placed soldiers in situations where they needed to adapt to local conditions, while at the same time passing on their knowledge and advice. The work is tangible, and so is the training experience for us. And it’s good to know you’re making a difference.”