Air Force firefighters help battle Northland fire
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) firefighters were part of the team battling a recent 100ha blaze at Northland’s Waipoua Forest, which threatened a local settlement and New Zealand’s largest known living kauri tree, Tāne Mahuta.
25 March, 2025
The team of three joined Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to get the fire under control. They were given just three days to achieve the goal before a forecast shift in the weather would push the blaze towards the Waipoua settlement.
The team triumphed.
About 100 firefighters and eight helicopters took on the fire at its peak before it was contained after five days.
Chris Southwick, a civilian firefighter at RNZAF Base Auckland, Aircraftman Sharon Insley and Leading Aircraftman Foloi (Simi) Maanaima were sent to the scene alongside a Waitemata firefighting deployment.
Mr Southwick was a sector supervisor for the mission and said the first two days the fire was fought by ground and air crews, containing the fire.
“We put in control lines or fire breaks ahead of the fire to try to limit its spread. Then we went into that next phase of containment and that’s when the hard work began. We call it blacking out, which is determining a 30m-50m blacked-out zone from the edge of the fire and extinguishing all signs of any heat like embers and looking for hot spots that can flare up.”
The days were long and hot with temperatures reaching 27°C, he said.
“We were wearing our full rural firefighting gear, so protective pants, top and a helmet. The team was also carrying around pumps, hoses and equipment.
“The window we were given over those three days was to really make an impact, because on the fourth day there was a wind shift that could have threatened the settlement. The groups really had to go to work in the three days up there, which they managed to do.”
The experience was valuable for the Air Force personnel involved and they gained a lot of from the real-life experience, Mr Southwick said.
“They were willing to get into anything they could and take on all opportunities. They really put in the hard mahi the whole time and went hammer and tongs up there to represent the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and gain as much knowledge as they could.”
It was a great opportunity to show the benefits of NZDF staff working alongside FENZ, he said.
The local iwi showed its gratitude to the task group, which worked hard to save the forest and gave permission to visit Tāne Mahuta, which is closed off at the moment to the public.
“It was quite a big moment for the task group,” Mr Southwick said.