‘We’re so blessed’: Penrhyn community welcomes NZDF crews

“We’re so blessed”.

That is how Tongareva/Penrhyn Executive Officer Puna Vano describes the arrival of more than 50 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel working alongside the community on the remote Cook Islands atoll.

For Penrhyn, where resources and skilled workers can be hard to access, the exercise is bringing help with projects the community has identified as priorities - from repairing school and hospital facilities to improving water storage and surveying the lagoon.

The work is part of Exercise Tropic Twilight, the NZDF’s annual Pacific operation focused on community support and resilience.

“Penrhyn is blessed,” Vano says.

He says the team has already built an extension behind the Cyclone Centre in Omoka. The new wash house has two washing machines that will stay with the centre after the NZDF leaves.

Penryhn/Tongareva Executive Officer Puna Vano and finance officer Teupoo Ford. Photo/Cook Islands News/ Melina Etches

He says the school and its parent-teacher association did not have the funds to fix it.

“In my opinion, this is very dangerous,” he says.

The roof trusses and roofing are next. NZDF personnel have also repaired a toilet at the Omoka hospital.

People of Penryhn/Tongareva gather for a community meal. Photo/Facebook/Puna Vano

Dental teams have also been working with the community, completing nine major treatments in one day.

Vano, who comes from the building industry, says he has been impressed by the way the NZDF personnel approach their work.

“They want to make sure that we get the best,” he says.

Vano’s role is to remove hurdles and keep the work moving, and he makes sure materials and other supplies are ready when the team needs them.

But the NZDF says the projects are not being decided by its personnel.

Listen to Major Cam Gurney's full interview below.

Major Cam Gurney told Pacific Mornings that the team arrived with a list of possible tasks identified by the community and agreed to by the Penrhyn Island Council.

“We’re supporting projects that have been identified by the community,” he says.

He says local people are working alongside the NZDF personnel on almost all of the tasks.

Labour MP for Christchurch, Dan Rosenwarne, says the exercise is a practical demonstration of New Zealand’s long-standing commitment to the Pacific.

“It’s great to see the NZDF back in the Cook Islands this year, working alongside local communities to deliver practical projects in infrastructure, health and hydrography,” he says.

MP Dan Rosenwarne in Parliament. Photo/Facebook/Dan Rosenwarne MP

“It’s also about maintaining the strong whanaungatanga between our two countries,” Rosenwarne says.

“You don’t build enduring relationships by just talking about partnership - you build them by showing up and working alongside each other.”

Tongareva/Penrhyn MP Vaine Wichman says this is the second Tropic Twilight exercise she has been involved with, having taken part in the first in 2015 when she was the Executive Officer in Tongareva.

“This year, I'm honoured to serve in the operation as the island's Member of Parliament.”

Wichman says she respects the dual purpose of the exercises, which combine NZDF training with support for Pacific communities.

“I believe in the spirit of these exercises that NZDF and MFAT have mounted over the last 25 years throughout the Pacific Island nations.”

Penryhn/Tongareva MP Vaine Wichman in Omoka. Photo/Supplied

“The dual aim of improving defense force deployment in challenging and remote environments, alongside fostering island and regional profile and humanitarian support is acknowledged with respect.”

She says the relationships built through the exercises can last beyond the practical projects.

“Always from these experiences and civic interactions, after the school hall is renovated, the health clinic fortified and the island infrastructure upgraded is the human aspect of long lasting friendships, cultural respect for differences, and patient embraces of diplomatic ties.”

The priorities came through the Cook Islands government and the Island Council and include water security, community infrastructure, health support and maritime survey work.

“Everything we do is around community work and improving resilience,” Gurney says.

Beyond the school and hospital personnel are working on the weekly market building, improving water storage and installing solar stills on outer islands to provide an additional source of fresh water using renewable energy.

People of Penryhn/Tongareva at the Wharf. Photo/Facebook/Puna Vano

Gurney says increased water storage will also help strengthen the community’s resilience during the drier months.

The maritime survey could also provide a lasting benefit for the atoll.

Gurney says the hydrographic work has found that existing charts of the lagoon are out of date.

He says the survey is important for maritime safety because Penrhyn relies heavily on sea transport for resupply.

Updated charts will give the Cook Islands government a more accurate understanding of transport routes around the lagoon.

The deployment is also bringing together personnel from Aotearoa, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu and the United Kingdom, with a French team due to arrive.

NZDF Personnel arrive in Penrhyn/Tongareva. Photo/Facebook/NZDF

The community has also been hosting the NZDF team for dinner twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, with Vano saying local food has been well received and raw fish has become a favourite.

The exercise is due to wrap up on Penrhyn in mid-October.

Gurney says the relationship built with the community is just as important as the work being completed.

“Building networks is fundamental. If the community feels supported and we’ve been able to help them, that’s a success for us,” he says.