Kiwi troops home today

Friends and family will gather at Christchurch Airport today to welcome troops home from the Solomon Islands.

Forty-four New Zealand Defence Force personnel will be touching down at 4:45pm.

They have completed a four-month stint supporting the Regional Assistance Mission, a partnership with the Solomons that aims to ensure security and help them develop skills for good governance.

Most are Territorial Force soldiers from Canterbury and Otago, who have given up their jobs or taken leave without pay to serve.

Kiwis have worked with Australian, Tongan and Papua New Guinean military and police personnel during that time.

- NEWSTALK ZB