Taskforce Kiwi Volunteers Deploy To Assist With Canadian Wildfire Relief Efforts

A group of New Zealand volunteers are travelling to Nova Scotia, Canada to assist following the devasting wildfires, marking the first Canadian deployment of New Zealand's newly formed veteran-led charitable trust.

Taskforce Kiwi's National Director Richard Adams says the contingent of seven defence and fire and emergency service veterans has been requested by their Canadian partner, Team Rubicon Canada, for their chainsaw and drone capabilities, as well as their significant experience in natural disasters.

Taskforce Kiwi's mission is to utilise the skills and experiences of defence and emergency service veterans to help communities recover from natural disasters. Formed in late 2022, the founding members of Taskforce Kiwi decided to build a capability to help New Zealanders in their time of need by creating an organisation that would allow veterans to continue serving their country and communities through disaster relief volunteering.

"We know that just because you take off a uniform it doesn't mean you stop serving" says Richard "so we wanted to create a place where veterans could continue to help out".

"We thought we would gradually build over time, but that’s not how it panned out. Before we knew it we were deploying to New South Wales to assist with their floods in January, then the Auckland Floods and Cyclone Gabrielle created a massive need for us to help at home". Over the first six months of 2023, the organisation has seen its membership nationwide grow to 390 registered volunteers, all keen to help those in need.

Taskforce Kiwi has already deployed over 200 volunteers this year following the Auckland floods and in ongoing Cyclone Gabrielle relief operations in Hawke’s Bay, contributing over 5,000 hours of highly skilled volunteer labour. Taskforce Kiwi has also been able to call on international assistance during these deployments, including 20 volunteers from Team Rubicon Canada and other volunteers from Australia, the UK and the US.

"It was only a few months ago Team Rubicon Canada had boots on the ground alongside us in Hawkes Bay, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for the work they did, and it’s fortunate that we’re able to repay the favour”.

The team will arrive in Nova Scotia over the next 24 hours, and will then spend the next ten days assisting communities in the area to the west of the provincial capital, Halifax.

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