Army training week returns to Ruatoria

ARMY VISITS TIKITIKI: Corporal Keenlan Poi (second from right) and his army unit put up the carving on the Hinepare Marae when they came to Ruatoria for a training week last year. They are due back again later this month. Picture supplied

GISBORNE man Corporal Keelan Poi will host a unit from the New Zealand Army later this month for a week of training in Ruatoria, where he has family connections.

Mr Poi grew up in Gisborne where he attended Lytton High, and has spent the last eight years in the army as a heavy diesel mechanic.

“I ran two similar training weeks for the army last year through my business Kaupoi Adventures,” he said.

His business, which he runs outside of army hours, combines his love of hunting, fishing and diving with outdoor adventures.

“I am looking at getting the army back up on the coast to give the rangatahi here at home something to strive for. I think it will be good for them to have some good role models and I think the army can provide that.”

He ran his first army training week last year bringing two army units up from Linton Military Base in Palmerston North where they did leadership and team building exercises, which included racing up Mt Hikurangi and hanging carvings at Tikitiki’s Hinepare Marae.

This year he will begin the training week with a community project.

“We’re going to put up a softball net at Ngata College and run a sports day, then on the Wednesday there will a 10km team race and navigation around the East Cape Light House. Ten students from Turanga Ararau will be integrated into the teams with the soldiers so they can learn how a team works efficiently in the services.

“The sports day will be another leadership task where as junior soldiers they will take charge of a sport and see how they can organise an event.”

He said this was a great opportunity to show off the military on the coast and he hopes it will remind young people, who are considering what they want to do once they leave school, that there are opportunities in the armed services.

Mr Poi helps run a military services preparation course with Turanga Ararau and said he was keen for the students to get a taste of real soldiering skills when they work side-by-side with the soldiers during the training week.

The training will take place from August 21-25 in Ruatoria.