Kirsty Meynell is in her element.
In her day job, she’s the administration and facilities manager for Taranaki Regional Council.
But in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, the veteran of 22 years in the New Zealand Army is the regional distribution hub manager for Civil Defence.
“No one’s shooting at us this time, and there’s no rockets coming in yet,” Meynell said.
Otherwise, the assembly and dispatch of supplies to Hawke’s Bay’s most dislocated communities is very much a military operation.
Based at the Tomoana Showgrounds, this is civic care on a level rarely seen in this country.
“So, I’m supply technician trained in the army, so we do training for these activities, but I’d have to say this is on a much bigger scale than I’ve ever trained for,’’ said Meynell.
An Air Force NH90 helicopter lands to gather more supplies, bound for Tutira.
It’s generators, petrol, gas bottles and boxes of non-perishable food, hygiene, sanitary and baby products. About 150 people are busy in the distribution centre, comprising Civil Defence staff, military, iwi and volunteers.
Two NH90s are doing drops to places such as Puketitiri, Te Haroto and Patoka. An iwi-funded Black Hawk helicopter is doing the same, along with Fire and Emergency NZ choppers and fixed-wing planes.
The army has trucks delivering goods as well, in concert with retired service people from Taskforce Kiwi.
It’s beds, linen, clothing, dog food - you name it.
Much of it has been donated by companies and some from Government-supply orders. Then there’s the stuff arriving by the container, fully donated by members of the public.
Sione Taufa is co-ordinating the sorting of that. He has 160 volunteers in an adjacent warehouse at Tomoana boxing items.
Food trucks have been hired to feed them all.
A volunteer himself, Taufa was director of sports at Hastings Girls’ High School until recently. Before that, he managed the staff at major sporting and cultural events in Auckland.
When he rocked up to Volunteering Hawke’s Bay a week ago, he thought he’d be handed a shovel. Now he’s a team leader.
“That whiteboard over there, that’s my command and control centre,” Taufa said.
It would be unkind to call earlier efforts to organise that side of the distribution process chaotic. But Taufa has implemented a Controlled Incident Management System, which will definitely be needed come Friday.
That’s the last day he’s able to volunteer.
“It’s just about job descriptions and standard operating procedures. The role’s always going to be there, it’s just the person that’s going to change,” said Taufa.
Everyone involved is “rolling with the punches”. Needs from those in affected areas change all the time, as does what’s donated.
What’s a constant is the precision with which it’s packed and delivered to those in need.
Meynell’s only sadness is that Taufa - and his army of volunteers - aren’t able to see just what their efforts mean to those in the Hawke’s Bay hinterland.
“Coming from Taranaki, I’m really impressed by how this community’s come together,” she said.
University of Auckland building B201 was transformed and that project won the team behind it a top Property Council award on November 8, 2024.