NH90S down for Anzac Day
The air force’s much-maligned NH90 helicopters have been all but grounded ahead of Anzac Day.
All eight helicopters flown out of Ohakea Air Force Base have had their flying operations significantly limited after one had to make an emergency landing near Blenheim on Sunday.
In a statement, the air force said they would no longer fly in areas where immediate landings are not possible, such as over built-up areas, mountains or water, until the problems were sorted.
A trip to Kaikoura, ferrying Cabinet ministers Gerry Brownlee and Jonathan Coleman, was cancelled, along with a night flying exercise that was to happen over an urban area.
Training flights were continuing, although they were limited.
The helicopters were not planned to be part of flypasts on Anzac Day, the air force said in a statement.
Chief of the Air Force Air Vicemarshal Tony Davies told Radio New Zealand there was an engine problem, but the helicopters were still able to be used over large parts of the country.
He also denied they were not fit for purpose, describing them as ‘‘a remarkable aircraft’’.
The helicopters have been criticised often since they were purchased for $177 million in 2006 to replace the air force’s Vietnam War-era Iroquois. A serious flaw revealed in 2012 meant they could not be flown in snowy conditions.
Lyn Provost, the auditorgeneral at the time, was also critical of the air force being the first military force in the world to use the helicopters.
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee called their purchase ‘‘interesting’’ in 2016 after they were unable to be used during the Pacific aid mission after Cyclone Pam because they were too difficult to transport and would not cope with Pacific winds.
Brownlee did not provide comment to the Standard about the effective grounding of the NH90S, with a spokeswoman saying he was happy for the air force to comment.
NZ First defence spokesman Ron Mark said the helicopters, bought when the Labour Party was in power, were a
The helicopters have been criticised often since they were purchased for $177 million in 2006 to replace the air force’s Vietnam War-era Iroquois.
bad buy.
They were also more expensive to fly than Iroquois, he said, pointing to figures sourced under the Official Information Act that show they are 2.5 times more expensive to operate. But the Government was ‘‘stuck with them’’.
Blackhawks, like those used by the Australian Air Force, would have been better, he said.
He called for governments to do more to get cross-party support for large military purchases, as it could help prevent problems down the line. Cyber stars making it big on Instagram have shared their tips and tricks on how to get thousands of followers.
From 1000 followers to 30,000 in just over one year, Julie Mcewen said frequent posts and interaction was all part of the online game.
Mcewen’s Instagram started gaining traction when a photographer approached her after seeing her profile.
After a few modelling shoots, more businesses spotted her and it grew from there, the Palmerston North woman said.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Mcewen to begin with. She said ‘‘you find out who your true friends are’’ when trying to make a career out of Instagram. ‘‘It affected a lot of my friendships. People were taking my excitedness for boasting. ‘‘It was hard, but it was worth it.’’ When Mcewen started gaining followers she approached businesses suggesting the she could promote their products.
Businesses then began sending her cosmetics and skincare products. She receives about 15 new offers every month.
At first, Mcewen promoted every product she was given, but she has reached a point where she can be selective. ‘‘I don’t want to be promoting stuff that I personally don’t find good.’’
Mcewen, who now studies in Wellington, said it did not matter where Instagram users were based.
Shannon Harris, who is also from Palmerston North, has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and was named one of 10 global beauty influencers in the Forbes’ inaugural list in April.
Harris said living in Palmerston North was ‘‘not limiting at all’’.
‘‘I think success on social media has nothing to do with your location, and everything to do with your content, quality and personality.’’
The hardest thing coming from a smaller city was attending brand events, she said.
Despite the challenge people should not be deterred because it was possible to grow an online presence from anywhere, Harris said.
‘‘Anyone can do what I do, with a lot of hard work and perseverance.’’
Palmerston North man Ryan Meta hoped that perserverance would help his following grow.
Meta posts at 8am, 2pm and 8pm to target countries at peak times. His followers have tripled to 4500 since his first post more than one year ago, which he said happened when Harris tagged him in a photo shoot they worked together on.
To get more followers, Meta uses plenty of hash-tags when he is wearing certain clothing brands or promoting skincare products.
Massey University innovation and entrepreneurship professor Lorraine Warren said it was important to show personality and be different to the millions of other people who use Instagram.
‘‘Until we do something very distinctive, it’s not necessarily a fasttrack to instant stardom.’’
Making a career out of social media also took skill and education, Warren said.