Source: New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)
New Zealand’s ability to launch assistance to its Pacific neighbours in the event of a disaster has been tested at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Auckland, where several agencies strengthened their readiness for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations in the region.
Led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the day-long activity last week brought together personnel from MFAT, the National Emergency Management Agency, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT), the New Zealand Army’s Joint Movement Control Office and the RNZAF’s Air Movements team.
The exercise focused on how agencies plan, prioritise, pack and load essential relief supplies, and how they work together when a real-world deployment is needed at short notice.
Participants worked alongside RNZAF air movements specialists to practise packing relief stores, verifying items against manifests, and understanding the constraints of loading a C-130J Hercules.
Flight Sergeant Sam Collis, Load Controller for Air Movements, said the visibility was crucial.
“Working with our partner agencies helps us all start speaking the same language. They get to see what their equipment looks like once it’s built for airlift, what our limitations are, and how we make decisions around weight and space.”
The C-130J can carry up to eight pallets and roughly 19 tonnes of combined fuel, passengers and cargo. Depending on complexity, building a full HADR load can take six to eight hours.
The Army’s Joint Movement Control Office personnel were also on site to demonstrate how they consolidate, check and document freight before it is handed over to Air Movements, mirroring what happens during an actual deployment.
Throughout the exercise, real-time “injects” simulated the pressures of an actual crisis: shifting priorities, last-minute manifest changes, and new coordination requirements.
These scenarios helped agencies practice rapid decision-making while reinforcing the importance of strong interagency networks.
Flight Lieutenant Denzel Williams, a C-130J co-pilot, said exercises like this directly supported the crews who may be deploying at short notice.
“When a HADR call-out comes, we need to build a full picture fast – weather, runway condition, fuel, cargo weight, and what the host nation needs. Sometimes the runway’s damaged, shortened, or the information is changing by the hour. These planning exercises get everyone ready for that.”
He added that New Zealand’s location makes readiness essential.
“The Pacific is our priority for HADR assistance. With an increasingly unstable climate and events that can happen at a moment’s notice, we need to be ready to respond, and we’re often the first aircraft able to get there.”
FENZ, USAR and NZMAT representatives said the exercise gave them valuable insight into how their equipment is handled once it leaves their depots.
The exercise provided agencies with a shared understanding of relief supplies, “NZ Inc” deployable gear, aircraft loading constraints, and the documentation chain, from initial packing to aircraft departure.
It also strengthened the national network of responders who may be working together in the first hours after a disaster in the Pacific.
