Source: New Zealand Army
For New Zealand Army carpenter Lance Corporal Hosea Taripo, deploying to the Cook Islands for Exercise Tropic Twilight was an opportunity to put his trade skills and local knowledge to work.
Rarotonga-born Lance Corporal Taripo was section commander of the carpentry team, part of the wider New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) team improving infrastructure and health services on the remote island of Penrhyn, nearly 1400km north of Rarotonga.
Running annually since 1999, the NZDF Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise in the South-West Pacific, is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Lance Corporal Taripo’s understanding of Cook Islands culture, language and way of life helped his team build relationships with the community they were working alongside.
“One of the best parts was being able to speak the language, communicate with the locals and understand how they operate.”
Growing up playing sport in the Cook Islands, Lance Corporal Taripo left Rarotonga as a teenager on a rugby scholarship to Sydney, before pursuing a long-held goal to join the military.
After four and a half years as an artillery gunner and after the birth of his first son, he transferred to the engineers to pursue a trade. He completed a four-year carpentry apprenticeship through the School of Military Engineering, and posted to 25 Engineer Support Squadron as a qualified carpenter.
“I always wanted to be a builder,” he said.
Sport has also played a big part in his time with the NZDF. Lance Corporal Taripo played rugby league and rugby union for the NZ Army, representing the NZDF in games against Australian military teams.
“That was definitely one of the highlights of being in the Army – there are just so many opportunities and the travel that comes with it.”
He said those opportunities had allowed him to meet people from across Defence and build networks that had helped him throughout his career.
This year on Penrhyn, the carpentry team’s work included fitting out the new life-skills classroom at Omoka School, constructing the school shelter and building bases for new water tanks.
Working in such a remote location required careful planning. Materials had to withstand the effects of sea spray and ordered allowing for the possibility that additional supplies would not be readily available.
Having been involved in the reconnaissance before the team deployed, Lance Corporal Taripo was able to anticipate what his team would need before construction began.
He said the preparation paid off, with the carpentry work progressing smoothly despite the logistical challenges of operating so far from normal supply chains.
His local knowledge has proved just as useful beyond the work site.
Keen for his section to experience Penrhyn, he encouraged them to accept invitations to meals and community events, spending time with local families.
“We’ve gone fishing with the locals, we’ve had dinner in their homes, and they’ve got to know us as people rather than just the uniform,” he said.
Those relationships also helped the work itself, with local providing access to machinery, equipment and practical knowledge.
“You learn how beneficial that integration can be.”
Lance Corporal Taripo said understanding Cook Islands culture, including the importance of recognising hospitality and generosity, helped his team form genuine connections.
He believes personnel with cultural connections to the places NZDF deploys in the Pacific bring valuable insight, particularly in understanding needs that may not always be expressed.
“People here are very humble and quiet. They could be struggling with something, but they’re not necessarily going to ask.
“If you understand that way of life, you can pick up on those things.”
Lance Corporal Taripo is particularly grateful to his wife who has held the fort at home in New Zealand with their four children, as the exercise has been an opportunity for him to reconnect with skills and traditions from his childhood, while watching his soldiers embrace island life.
“It’s been really good for jogging my memory of how to live here and a lot of the skills I learnt when I was younger.”
For him, the ability to bring together his trade, a leadership role and upbringing in the Cook Islands, has made this exercise particularly meaningful.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Photo 1 and 2: Cook Island-born Lance Corporal Hosea Taripo worked on construction tasks for Exercise Tropic Twilight on Penryhn in the Cook Islands
Photo 3: Lance Corporal Taripo led a team of carpenters working on a construction tasks on Penrhyn