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Kiwi Troops Return to Winter Shock
New Zealand Defence Force
Te Ope Kaatua O Aotearoa
Media Release
25 July 2007
Kiwi Troops Return to Winter Shock
After leaving behind the tropical temperatures of Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, 77 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will return to a winter welcome at Whenuapai Air Force Base tonight.
Forty-four of the soldiers have completed a four-month tour of the Solomon Islands where they have been supporting the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). While there they have helped to maintain security by conducting patrols in Honiara and outlying areas and providing external security at Rove Prison.
The remaining 33 personnel are the air crew and support staff who have spent three months in Timor-Leste with the NZDF Helicopter detachment. The two Iroquois helicopters are deployed in support of the International Security Force based in Dili and provide an aero-medical evacuation capability as well as the ability to ferry troops and supplies into remote areas of Timor-Leste.
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral Jack Steer, says that he is delighted to welcome home the NZDF contingents returning from the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste after the completion of their respective tours.
“The work of New Zealand Defence Force personnel in the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste is vitally important to the restoration of normality for both these nations, and I thank these men and women for their efforts. Their work has also contributed to New Zealand's proud reputation as a well-respected partner in international peacekeeping. In addition I would like to thank the friends and family of these personnel because without their support, our Defence Force would not be able to deploy overseas to provide this vital assistance to people in need.”
The soldiers are due to arrive on a Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 at 9.05pm tonight, and will be greeted by Air Component Commander Air Commodore Peter Stockwell and their families.
Seventy-six defence personnel departed New Zealand on 22 July to take up the duties in the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.
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