When he’s not doing his day job as Ernslaw’s Naseby Forest Manager, Paul Hart, is proud to serve alongside around 480 other Kiwis on Taskforce Kiwi which helps communities in need.

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Paul, who is also Deputy Chief at Naseby Volunteer Fire Brigade where he has been volunteering for 19 years and prior to that, New Brighton Volunteer Fire Brigade for five years, has been firefighting for nearly 25 years.  The deep sense of service saw him step up to share his skills on Taskforce Kiwi when the call went out.

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Taskforce Kiwi was established in 2022, following Cyclone Gabrielle, by ex-army veteran, Richard Adams.  The group utilises the skills and experiences of former and serving defence force and emergency personnel, as well as members of the wider community, to provide direct assistance to impacted communities before, during and after disasters.  

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Richard says Taskforce Kiwi aims to bridge a gap in emergency management and support existing services.  “We have the ability to rapidly deploy volunteers to help out where needed and with the comprehensive range of skills our people have, we can easily fit in with teams already on the ground or just get stuck in.”

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Paul’s first mission was with the team deployed to Hawkes Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 where he spent 10 days helping with the cleanup.  As well as removing silt and salvaging what he could for homeowners, he was also ferrying school children and people with provisions across Dartmore River in a raft.

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Paul travelled as part of a team of seven to Nova Scotia, Canada, after the devastating wildfires last May and spent two weeks carrying out a sifting operation.  “We went through one house at a time searching for the owners’ treasured items such as jewellery, medals and pet urns, sifting through the ash to try and find anything recoverable,” explains Paul.

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Just in the last month Paul has attended the aftermath of the Port Hill fires, helping a homeowner tidy up and salvage belongings, vegetation and dwellings after the fire skirted around his property.  And then he was deployed to Loburn, Canterbury to carry out a tidy up mission after St Andrews Church was destroyed by fire. “Around 60 trees had been reduced to black sticks and these all had to come down and be removed.  There was really only the foundations left of the church and it was difficult to find anything that was left untouched.  The owner was extremely grateful for our attempts to salvage what we could for her.”

Taskforce Kiwi’s work has also included a team being deployed to assist in the on going relief efforts in Morocco following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the Atlas Mountains that killed nearly 3000 people and injured more than 5,600.

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Another team headed to Vanuatu following Tropical Cyclone Lola, which impacted over100,000 people across northern and central Vanuatu in late October 2023.  

At the end of last year Taskforce Kiwi volunteers arrived in Queensland to support relief and recovery efforts following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

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Paul says the work is challenging but extremely rewarding.  “To be able to help people that have been caught in these dreadful situations has a bright side.  Seeing the relief on their faces when we arrive is all the reward I need.  It is often emotional – not just for the people who have lost so much, but for our team as well as we witness the devastation of lives and property.  

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“I feel very privileged to be a part of the team and to have Ernslaw’s support to carryout this work,” concludes Paul.

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Taskforce Kiwi has undertaken 10 separate operations across five countries which has involved over 10,000 volunteer hours.

The long-term goal is to grow volunteer numbers to 1000 across New Zealand to better service both local and international requests for assistance.  “While our volunteers give their time for free, there are hard costs that need to be covered and we rely on donations and in-kind support,” says Richard.

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For further information visit: https://www.taskforcekiwi.org/

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