Christchurch Earthquake – NZ Defence Force – Update 9

The Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones is visiting Christchurch today and will make contact with NZ Defence Force assets while in the city.

There are 1113 NZ Army personnel committed to assisting civilian agencies in the region along with 129 Singapore Army (SAF) personnel.

Yesterday 100,000 litres of water was produced/delivered by the NZ Defence Force.

Two Environmental Health teams are in Christchurch liaising with the Ministry of Health.

Catering support is producing 1900 breakfasts, 2200 lunches and dinners and 350 midnight meals per day. All up close to 20,000 meals have been delivered since the earthquake.

HMNZS CANTERBURY provided 500 meals into Lyttelton centre and 50 packaged meals for NZ Fire Service. Members of all 3 ships’ companies, PUKAKI, OTAGO and CANTERBURY provided a BBQ at the scaled down Lyttleton Summer Festival community event ashore.

150 aircrew and support personnel remain committed with 300 passengers moved from Christchurch in last 24 hours and 1842 moved in total.

148,000kg of freight has been facilitated by the RNZAF in the last 24 hours.

A Royal Singapore Air Force C-130 Hercules completed a Whenuapai –Christchurch - Wellington task transporting water, freight, as well as evacuating some people.

There are 261 Regular Navy personnel and 23 Reservists committed in the Lyttleton area.

CANTERBURY departed Lyttelton 0700 heading to Wellington where she will reprovision stores and water.

She will return full, leaving in the early hours of Monday morning, carrying containers, 35 vehicles including a Fuel Tanker, vans, 4WD vehicles, stores and water.

She will also carry 11 vehicles including 9 trucks with engineer bridging equipment on board,and generators including a 120KVA and military personnel.

HMNZS OTAGO and PUKAKI assisted by reservists from HMNZS PEGASUS will continue to support Lyttelton town civil defence and assigned tasks during CANTERBURY’s brief absence.

HMNZS RESOLUTION will conduct a survey of Akaroa Harbour and part of Lyttelton

A Boeing B757 will transferr engineers, St John and Wellington Free Ambulance personnel, Urban Search and Rescue Personnel and territorial soldiers
RNZAF C130 Hercules will transport Police and freight from Wellington to Christchurch.

Two RNZAF Iroquois helicopters remain on task in the city with other aircraft standing by.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

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