Taskforce Kiwi Deploys To Thailand To Support Myanmar Earthquake Relief

Taskforce Kiwi has deployed a Liaison Officer (LO) to Bangkok in response to last Friday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake. Arriving on Monday the 1stof April, our LO has engaged with local, regional and international NGOs, working to identify opportunities to assist with the ongoing response and relief efforts in Myanmar as the international community mobilises to support those most impacted.

Taskforce Kiwi’s Founder and National Director, Richard Adams, is currently in Bangkok as our LO, liaising with local, regional and international organisations to gain an understanding of how best to support those impacted by the recent earthquake, as they continue to deal with complexity of an ongoing civil war.

Richard has had the opportunity to discuss the current situation with New Zealand’s ambassador to Thailand, Jonathan Kings, while also engaging with other NGOs, including REACT UK, World Central Kitchen, All Hands and Hearts, Rotary Club Metro Yangon, the HADR Institute, and the Myanmar Water Academy.

In addition to the engagement taking place in Bangkok, behind the scenes NZ based Taskforce Kiwi volunteers have been busy; some have been undertaking image analysis, assessing satellite imagery to provide detailed impact assessments for those areas impacted by the earthquake (recent Myanmar example), while others have been working the phones to identify suppliers who can provide the necessary humanitarian supplies within a suitable time frame.

Over the coming days and weeks Taskforce Kiwi will continue to engage with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alongside local partners, to ensure we can provide direct assistance and equipment support to those who need it most, primarily in those areas hardest hit in the vicinity of the northern city of Mandalay.

The situation is dynamic and is rapidly changing, as international NGOs attempt to gain access to a country ravaged by civil war. Taskforce Kiwi’s focus is on providing support to those most at need, and we are working with local partners to achieve that as soon as possible.

Richard reflected over last 96 hours in Bangkok;

“To say the situation is challenging is an understatement. A combination of ongoing civil conflict and a massive earthquake means that there are hundreds of thousands suffering across Myanmar, on top of those who have been displaced as a result of conflict in the region. Although we’re an entirely volunteer organisation, Taskforce Kiwi is now laser focused on doing whatever we can, with whatever support we can muster, to do our part in alleviating that suffering”.

To learn more about Taskforce Kiwi or to support their mission to provide aid to communities following disasters, go to www.taskforcekiwi.org.

About Taskforce Kiwi

Taskforce Kiwi is a nationwide veteran-led disaster relief charity formed in 2022, that exists to bridge the gaps in disaster response. We do this by utilising the skills and experience of former and serving defence and emergency services personnel alongside members of the wider community, providing direct assistance to impacted communities when they need it most. In doing so, we seek to provide a sense of purpose, identity and community to our volunteers, improving mental health outcomes for veterans.

Since August 2022 we’ve recruited 690 volunteers, deploying 353 of them on disaster relief operations across seven nations; NZ, Australia, Vanuatu, Morocco, Canada, the US and Papua New Guinea. In doing so, we’ve contributed 13,334 hours of skilled frontline support where it’s needed most.

Deployments have included Cyclone Gabrielle, the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, the 2024 Wairoa floods, the 2024 Port Hills Fires, and most recently the Mangawhai tornado.

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