The New Zealand Medical Assistance Team's Dr Alan Goodey explaining the inner workings of the triage area in the deployable health facility setup. 27 October 2023 Trentham Military Base, Upper Hutt, Wellington. Photo: Supplied/New Zealand Defence Force
As Vanuatu takes stock of the damage left by its third cyclone this year and in the wake of Cyclone Gabriel in Aotearoa, the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team and the New Zealand Defence Force are combining for the first time to test their response to a catastrophic event in Aotearoa New Zealand.
About 50 personnel from both organisations are taking part in exercise Kotahitanga, currently being held at Trentham Military Camp in Upper Hutt ending this week.
The exercise doubles as a World Health Organisation assessment that the teams are operating to international standards and Pacific nations observers from Samoa, Fiji, and also Australia are taking part.
RNZ Pacific Editor Koroi Hawkins reports.
