Machine gunner sharpens heavy weapons skills in Tekapo alongside Royal Gurkha Rifles

The former Christchurch Boys’ High student from New Zealand Army’s 2nd/1st Battalion is a Section Second-in-Command within 2/1 RNZIR's Fire Support Group (FSG), one of the battalion's most specialised infantry capabilities.

This year’s biennial Exercise Pacific Kukri brought together approximately 50 NZ Army personnel and 120 Royal Gurkha Rifles soldiers in the South Island, to strengthen combat capability, improve interoperability and build readiness to operate together in future exercises and operations.

Lance Corporal Toki attended Palmerston North Boys' High School before moving to Christchurch with his family as a teenager, and is now based at Burnham.

His connection to the Defence Force began long before he enlisted in 2018. 

"The Army was always part of my life growing up. Mum and Dad both had Defence backgrounds, Mum was a Reserve and Dad worked at Linton. I played rugby around the camp so I was constantly around soldiers and Army culture," he said.

"From a young age I knew it was something I wanted to be part of."

Now approaching eight years of service, Lance Corporal Toki helps lead machine gun detachments capable of delivering sustained fire support in combat operations.

During Exercise Pacific Kukri, his team employed MAG58(SF) machine guns and HK40mm GMG (Grenade Machine Guns) in support of Royal Gurkha Rifles live-fire activities.

The weaponry is heavy and the job requires strength and endurance. Just the grenade machine gun, for example, breaks down to three main parts each averaging around 20kgs. One of these, plus a tin of ammunition weighing around 19kgs adds to each team member’s overall pack weight in the field.

For Lance Corporal Toki, this provided an opportunity to develop both his own skills and those of the soldiers under his leadership. 

"It's rewarding being able to get on the gun line with them, coach them through the drills and watch their confidence and technical skills improve."

While the role demands technical expertise, much of his responsibility centres on leadership and preparation.

"A lot of my job is making sure our people, weapons, vehicles and equipment are ready before we head out the door. Once we're in the field, it's about helping manage the mission, maintaining communications and ensuring the section can keep supporting the fight." 

One of the highlights of the exercise was the opportunity to maximise live-fire training. 

"For a fire support soldier, ammunition is essential to getting the most out of training. We had the opportunity to conduct a lot of live-fire serials and really develop our skills on the guns.

"It was rewarding seeing the progression of our soldiers and helping them improve their speed, accuracy and confidence."

Based at Burnham Military Camp and the challenging terrain around Tekapo Military Training Area, the exercise also shows the value of New Zealand's unique and dynamic training environment.

"The Mackenzie Basin is great country for this type of exercise. You've got open ground, rolling hills and long sight lines, which creates realistic conditions for fire support training and manoeuvre."

Lance Corporal Toki said the exercise also offered opportunities to strengthen relationships with the Gurkhas, renowned throughout the British Army for their elite soldiering skills.

"They were outstanding. Professional, friendly and great soldiers to work alongside."

Major Samuel Ackers, Officer Commanding B Company, 2RGR says their soldiers really appreciate the experience they gain from the challenging New Zealand terrain.

“They value the opportunity to build capability alongside the NZ Army in such a distinct environment.”

Commanding Officer of 2/1 RNZIR, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Mateparae, says the training reinforced the NZ Army’s ability to work closely with international partners in an increasingly complex security environment. 

"Exercise Pacific Kukri gave us the opportunity to train together here in New Zealand, share knowledge and strengthen relationships that underpin effective operations. 

"It ensures we are ready to operate effectively alongside our partners when we need to.

"Our heavy weapons teams worked closely alongside the Gurkhas during live firing, while our support teams enabled the movement of personnel and equipment across the exercise and took care of repairs."

The exercise is one of several international military activities involving 2/1 RNZIR personnel this year and forms part of the New Zealand Army's ongoing commitment to maintaining combat readiness and strengthening defence partnerships.

For Lance Corporal Toki, the experience is another step in a career that continues to evolve. Later this month he will travel to the United States to undertake specialist training in uncrewed aerial systems and counter-uncrewed aerial systems capabilities. 

"It's an exciting opportunity. The way warfare is evolving, uncrewed [drone] capability's an area that's becoming increasingly important and this is an opportunity to bring additional skills back to Army."

Having deployed internationally on operations alongside military partners from Fiji, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, Lance Corporal Toki said international experiences reinforced the strengths of New Zealand soldiers – their work ethic, adaptability and determination to get the job done.

"We're a small military, but the Kiwi attitude really stands out."