NZ soldiers heading to Tonga for exercise
A po¯ whiri at Linton Military Camp has welcomed military personnel from New Zealand and abroad, ahead of a South Pacific exercise.
The personnel are about to deploy to Tonga as part of Exercise Tropic Twilight, where they will assist local communities with a range of projects as well as helping increase disaster resilience. The contingent is made up of 60 New Zealand soldiers as well as 10 army personnel from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Japan and New Caledonia.
During the po¯whiri, Officer Commanding 25 Engineer Support Squadron Major James Brosnan said those involved in the overseas deployment will embrace diversity and utilise their strengths to move forward as one unit and achieve their objectives.
“This is about supporting the Kingdom of Tonga, building disaster resilience, enhancing stability in the region and reiterating that we are all trusted partners within the Pacific,” he said.
“By ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to achieve all the goals, so the participation of the other countries cannot be understated. It also creates an opportunity to make new friends, increase our ability to operate together and be exposed to different perspectives and methods to achieve a mission.”
The annual South Pacific exercise is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). It is the second consecutive year the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has chosen to hold Exercise Tropic Twilight in Tonga, in order to provide the island kingdom with aid as it continues to recover from the impact of the 2022 Hunga Tonga — Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption.
New Zealand Army engineers will travel to the Tongan island of Lifuka where they will work with the community on increasing resilience to natural disasters. They will be accompanied by Defence Force health personnel who will hold community dental clinics on the island.
Over the course of seven weeks, the engineer troop will focus on renovations and upgrades to the Ha’ateiho Community Centre to ensure the community has a safe place to shelter during or after cyclones. The troops will also makes repairs to the Koulo Meteorological Station and upgrade facilities at two local schools.
“We are looking forward to the challenge of projecting and sustaining a force on a remote island group within Tonga and the Pacific,” Major Brosnan said. “It will really test the NZDF’s ability to plan, communicate, co-ordinate, execute and respond to developing situations — all essential elements of being a highly trained and deployable force.”