Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman
Minister of Defence

16 August 2013

NZDF completes successful Pacific mission

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says the NZ Defence Force has made a key contribution to Exercise Pacific Partnership 2013, providing humanitarian assistance and capacity building in the Pacific.

“The NZDF has played a significant role in Exercise Pacific Partnership 2013, leading key elements of the exercise for the first time,” Dr Coleman says.

“New Zealand successfully led and co-ordinated the Kiribati and Solomon Islands phases of Pacific Partnership, as partner nations were asked to lead parts of the mission for the first time. Also for the first time, the Deputy Mission Commander for the exercise was a Kiwi officer.

“NZDF personnel on the ground completed a number of key engineering, medical and dental tasks, helping to make a real difference to people’s lives in the Pacific.

“It is important that New Zealand plays its part in exercises like Pacific Partnership, so New Zealand along with our international partners remain ready to provide an effective multinational response when disaster strikes.”

Over 300 NZDF personnel, three Royal New Zealand Navy ships and three Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft took part in Exercise Pacific Partnership 2013.

For the last two months, the NZDF has worked alongside military personnel from the US, Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as civilian volunteers and other non-governmental organisations.

In Solomon Islands, HMNZS Canterbury hosted a multinational force of 150 NZ Army engineers and medical staff, a French Puma helicopter and crew, and military personnel from Australia and the US.

The NZDF completed a number of engineering, medical and dental tasks in Kiribati, and two C-130 Hercules flights dropped off vital stores. HMNZS Manawanui and HMNZS Wellington conducted remnants of war taskings in Solomon Islands, and a number of NZ Army engineers and medical staff provided assistance in Samoa and Tonga.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade administered New Zealand Aid Programme provided funding for projects carried out by the NZDF.

Exercise Pacific Partnership is the largest humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness mission in the region. Led by the US, the exercise ran from May to August 2013 in the host nations of Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Solomon Islands.

ENDS

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