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Army reservists push through with food supplies

Napier’s own reservist battalion are proving routes and supplying food to hard-to-reach Hawke’s Bay locations

16 February, 2023

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Captain Ben Kimber, of 5/7 Battalion, says they and other government agencies have been using Unimog trucks to conduct recoveries and provide food to people unable to evacuate.

One such mission involved supplying ration packs to a team of seasonal workers from Samoa and Tuvalu, stranded at their accommodation.

“We’ve also been conducting route reconnaissance to prove routes and hopefully help reopen those roads so we can push forward supplies to people who have been isolated.

“It’s been very difficult to access these isolated communities earlier on, but these routes are starting to open up, and as they do, we’re pushing support further forward, as far as we can and as soon as we can.”

Today a logistics support team of 100 people and 30 vehicles (Unimog and Pinzgauer) have forward deployed to Hawke’s Bay. The logistics team will comprise specialists in catering, medical, transport, fuel and vehicle repair.