Thursday 24 February 2011

The New Zealand Defence Force is continuing its effort in support of emergency agencies dealing with search and rescue in Christchurch.

738 NZ Army personnel with approximately eighty vehicles are committed alongside116 Singapore Army personnel who were in New Zealand for an exercise. These personnel are helping man the cordons.

Two environmental health teams are working alongside Ministry of Health teams in the city.

A 350 bed tent city has been established at Burnham Camp to be increased to 500 beds to support the arrival of international contributions.

• 150 Air Force personnel are committed to the task with two Boeing B757 aircraft and two Hercules C-130 aircraft continued to support air-bridge task CH-WN deploying emergency response personnel and equipment , bulk water and NZDF resources.

• 1053 personnel were processed by Christchurch Air Movements. 936 personnel moved by RNZAF Aircraft,.

• 91 Australian citizens have been carried by RAAF to Australia and 26 Singaporean citizens by Republic of Singapore Air Force.

• Two Iroquois helicopters are currently in Christchurch from No3 SQN RNZAF.

• 200 Navy personnel are committed in the Lyttelton area with HMNZS CANTERBURY alongside Lyttelton and OTAGO/ PUKAKI at anchor in approaches.

• The Navy’s Littoral Warfare Support Group will complete a survey of the port using Navy divers and a remote underwater vehicle.

CANTERBURY provided 700 meals last night and non-armed security patrol of 10 pers remain in the Lyttelton Town centre

The Army engineers will be setting up two water points including water purification (Lyttleton and New Brighton) later today. They will also be carrying out clearance tasks in the Pages/Breezes Rd area.

Forty five dialysis patients were carried out of the city yesterday on a Boeing 757aircraft to Auckland.

NZ Defence Force is providing assisitance to Civil Defence and foreign rescue teams.

NSW has 72 pers and twenty tonnes of gear, Queensland 70 pers, 3 dogs and 22 tonnes of gear.

Japan has 63 pers, 3 dogs and 10 tonnes of gear.

Singapore has another 33 pers, 3 dogs and 10 tonnes of equipment.

The US will be sending 80 pers and 40 tonnes of equipment.

Taiwan plans to send 24 pers, 2 dogs and 2 tonnes of gear.

The UK is sending 63 pers and 9 tonnes of equipment.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>