A message from Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour, Commander Joint Forces New Zealand

The New Zealand Defence Force has so far contributed about 60 planners, liaison officers and other specialist staff to AoG centres managing the Government response to COVID-19.

They are providing operations and planning support in a range of areas including health, safety, logistics, supply chain and movements planning.

Those centres include the Operational Command Centre, National Emergency Management Agency, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, NZ Police, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Our support also includes liaison officers in Emergency Coordination Centres in regions around the country.

The NZDF is committed to serving and helping New Zealand through the rapidly developing COVID-19 situation. NZDF is structured, equipped and trained for a range of crisis contingencies and is therefore ready and able to play our part in the fight against Covid-19, while continuing to maintain our ongoing responsibilities, including international missions, and operational outputs such as search and rescue and Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

We’re ready to do more if requested to do so by civil authorities.

The NZDF has initiated Operation PROTECT to focus and organise our contributions to the All-of-Government effort to respond to, and manage the effects, of COVID-19.

We have established regional task groups. These are covering the top half of the North Island (based in Auckland), central North Island (based in Manawatu), and South Island (based in Christchurch) and Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand (in Wellington) has overall operational command of NZDF responses to COVID 19.

Watch Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour’s message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShzavEFL3Q4&feature=youtu.be