Anzac Heirs: Cool heads in hotspots

After the 2006 riots in Tonga, New Zealand troops helped to restore peace as part of a joint force with their Australian counterparts. Photo / NZ Defence Force

At the end of World War I New Zealand proudly put itself forward as a founding member of the League of Nations, forerunner to the United Nations. More than 90 years later, that tradition of standing for international security remains as firm as ever.

Being a small nation at the bottom of the world has never stopped New Zealand from doing its part to advance world peace.

Whether in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia or closer to home in the Pacific, we have frequently answered the call of the UN to help out when strife hits and a multi-lateral response is needed.

Today New Zealanders serve in a variety of hotspots, filling crucial roles and keeping the peace – just as our forefathers intended.

Sinai, Egypt

It is known as the world's most successful – and least famous – peacekeeping operation.

And New Zealand has been there all along, now even more prominently.

For 30 years, foreign troops from 12 nations have been stationed in the Sinai, maintaining peace between Egypt and Israel.

Last month New Zealander Major General Warren Whiting took command of the mission, the Multinational Force Observers (MFO), based at North Camp El Gorah.

He will lead more than 1600 troops who monitor the 210km border between the two countries, just the second New Zealander to take up the role. Major General Whiting is joined by more than 25 Kiwis who fill roles as drivers, trainers, and in the logistics side of the mission.

The 12-strong driver unit travels more than 350,000km a year in the testing desert conditions.

Middle East

In the thick of one of the world's most firebrand territories, a group of eight New Zealanders take up a solemn position, guarding against war.

They are part of a group of 150 military observers from 23 countries under the umbrella of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO).

Based in Jerusalem, the group has had outposts in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, ensuring peace agreements and ceasefires are adhered to and violations are swiftly reported. It's an important job as, in such a hostile region, outbreaks could spill over into outright war.

Though they are there as keepers of the peace, it is no guarantee of a peaceful existence. Over the years 50 UNTSO personnel have lost their lives.

Sudan

When a peace agreement brought Africa's longestrunning civil war to an end in 2005, the UN was called on to help. And New Zealand willingly answered the appeal, in a small but significant way.

A force of 10,000 military personnel from around the world includes three members from New Zealand.

They are part of the United Nations Mission to Sudan (UNMIS), tasked with observing and monitoring the opposing forces of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement.

One of the New Zealanders is based at the UNMIS headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, and two have positions in remote southern Sudan.

Iraq

New Zealand's contribution to the United Nation's efforts in Iraq could be described as small but perfectly informed.

Based in Baghdad, a lone New Zealand Defence Force Officer is a military adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission Iraq (UNAMI). The role carries the important job of providing a link between the UN and the United States-led multinational force and the Iraqi security forces.

That includes co-ordinating security for the UN – no easy job in one of the most dangerous countries in the world – and providing military advice to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General.

South Korea

The Demilitarised Zone separating North and South Korea remains one of the globe's most significant touchstones for peace.

The 241km-long, 4km-wide buffer between the two combatants of the Korean War is still a hotspot almost 60 years after battle supposedly stopped.

Hostilities continue to break out and defectors make a dash, activities which confirm the need for the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission in Korea (UNCMAC).

Since 2005, New Zealand has stationed four officers in various posts of the mission. Their work includes inspections, escorting important visitors, and investigating and documenting breaches of the armistice agreement.


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