Taskforce Kiwi

29/08/2026

Taskforce Kiwi has been closely monitoring the situation in Nepal, with its intelligence team working to build a clearer picture of the impact through information from partners on the ground and open-source reporting.

The team is also speaking with local and international NGOs to understand what support may be needed and where Taskforce Kiwi could best add value.

Taskforce Kiwi is looking at a range of options to support both the immediate response and longer-term recovery.

The situation is continuing to develop, and Taskforce Kiwi will keep monitoring alongside its partners and provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Our thoughts are with those affected and the communities facing the impacts of the situation.

26/08/2026

Taskforce Kiwi's National Director, Richard Adams, had the opportunity last week while in Canada to join Team Rubicon Canada Greyshirts on Operation Benchmark in Ontario.

Operation Benchmark is Team Rubicon Canada's flood relief operation in St Catharines & Lincoln, Ontario, assisting those affected by the severe weather and flooding that struck the area in late July and early August. Teams have been on the ground since early August undertaking debris removal and residential muck-outs, providing invaluable support to those impacted across the community.

It was a valuable opportunity to share information and continue building the partnership between Team Rubicon Canada and Taskforce Kiwi that has seen multiple joint deployments across both countries over the past four years, including to Hawke's Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle, and to Alberta and Nova Scotia following devastating wildfires.

Thank you to Team Rubicon Canada CEO Mischa Kaplan and the deployed Greyshirts for your hospitality and friendship. As always, the professionalism and impact of Team Rubicon Canada volunteers were inspiring, and we're grateful to serve alongside such an incredible team.

23/08/2026

At Taskforce Kiwi, we’ve just hit a huge milestone: 1,000 registered volunteers from across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our first volunteer signed up on 6 July 2022. Our 1,000th signed up on 14 August 2026. That's a new volunteer joining TFK roughly every day and a half for four years running, a real testament to the spirit of service that exists across the country.

Does that mean we can put 1,000 boots on the ground tomorrow? Absolutely not, that's not how volunteer organisations work. But it does mean we have an increasingly large pool of skilled volunteers to call on when disaster strikes, and it shows that Kiwis' desire to support those they’ve never met, often on their worst day, continues to grow.

Thank you to every volunteer who's signed up so far, we appreciate your desire to serve and your patience as we continue to grow and develop TFK. Thank you also to our partners, those businesses, organisations and individuals at home and abroad who support us and work alongside us. Together we’ve built a proven national resource, standing by to support those who need it, when they need it.

Onwards to 2,000 volunteers.

19/08/2026

During a disaster, information flows from everywhere. The challenge is working out what it means, and what decision-makers need to know.

Taskforce Kiwi’s Intelligence in Disasters Course is a practical, scenario-based in-person training course designed to build exactly those skills.

The course has been designed by Subject Matter Experts with extensive operational experience at home and abroad for emergency management professionals, responders, intelligence practitioners and anyone who may support an intelligence function during an emergency.

📅 18 September 2026
🎓 Practical | Scenario-based | In Person | One-day course

To register your interest, and for more information, head to https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/MzVE6iquiA

17/08/2026

We're incredibly excited and grateful that Taskforce Kiwi has been announced as a Canon ANZ 2026 Oceania Grants Program recipient.

Four recipients for this years grants program have been announced today, with Taskforce Kiwi receiving the Community grant. A big thank you to everyone who voted for TFK as a finalist, we really appreciate your support.

This grant allows us to purchase suitable camera equipment and provide specialised training to our volunteers, increasing our ability to gather imagery during disaster relief deployments. It will enable us to upskill our volunteers, document disaster response efforts, share the stories of affected communities, and help build public support for future relief efforts.

https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants?

Supporting schools and not-for-profits who are addressing social and environmental issues in their community, inspiring change for future generations.

05/08/2026

14 Taskforce Kiwi volunteers have received the New South Wales Premier’s Flood Emergency Citation for their efforts in 2023.

The Premier’s Flood Emergency Citation recognises the extraordinary response efforts during the major flood events in NSW between 2021 and 2023. During January and February 2023 our volunteers deployed to the area around Forbes in NSW, joining Disaster Relief Australia as they worked to support those communities impacted by the flooding that devastated the area in November 2022.

The Citation pin features a blue stripe to signify the flood event, and the Waratah, the NSW State Flower. In addition to the Citation, recipients have received both a certificate and a letter signed by the NSW Premier, the Minister for Emergency Services, and the Commissioner of NSW SES.

Thank you to our volunteers who deployed to support our friends across the Tasman during Taskforce Kiwi’s second ever disaster relief operation, this recognition is well deserved. And thank you to Susan Clisby for all your work behind the scenes to ensure that our volunteers were recognised.

29/07/2026

Help Taskforce Kiwi secure a 2026 Canon Ocean Grant - Voting closes at 9pm (NZT) tonight!

Voting only takes a few seconds, and can be done here: https://canonaustralia.wufoo.com/forms/z1j5sxmm0cc86pf/

Taskforce Kiwi is a finalist in the Community Category, and this grant would allow us to purchase suitable camera equipment and provide specialised training to our volunteers, increasing our ability to gather imagery during disaster relief deployments. This would enable us to upskill our volunteers, document disaster response efforts, share the stories of affected communities, and help build public support for future relief efforts.

Thank you for your support!

Taskforce Kiwi has been announced as a Community finalist in the 2026 Canon ANZ Oceania Grants program.

This grant would allow us to purchase suitable camera equipment and provide specialised training to our volunteers, increasing our ability to gather imagery during disaster relief deployments. This would enable us to upskill our volunteers, document disaster response efforts, share the stories of affected communities, and help build public support for future relief efforts.

Voting is now open, and runs through until 9pm on Wednesday the 29th of July. Please support our efforts by voting for Taskforce Kiwi in the Community category here: https://www.canon.co.nz/about-canon/community/grants

23/07/2026

Last weekend, our volunteers were busy on two fronts: flood relief in Kaikōura, and veteran support in Auckland.

On Saturday, one of our teams carried out Operation Veteran Assist III, working alongside The Ranfurly Veterans' Trust to assist a Royal New Zealand Navy veteran move from their current accommodation into the Ranfurly Veterans Home. Disaster relief is our core business, but with hundreds of current and former defence personnel in our ranks, we understand that veterans sometimes need a hand too, and we're proud to be able to help where we can.

Thank you to the Ranfurly Veterans' Trust for the partnership, and to our volunteers for giving up their Saturday to make this move a smooth one.

Veterans' Affairs New Zealand

22/07/2026

Taskforce Kiwi volunteers are on the ground in Kaikōura, supporting those impacted by the recent flooding and storm event.

Working alongside the North Canterbury Rural Support Trust, Kaikōura District Council, and the Ministry for Primary Industries, our volunteers have travelled from across the country to undertake a variety of tasks, including debris clearance, demolition, access restoration, and fence removal and repair. Many of the properties our team are working on were also impacted by the October 2025 wildfire that hit the area, with TFK on site for the second time in less than a year.

As ever, we couldn’t do it without the support of our partners. A big thank you to the Rural Support Trust for the financial support that enabled us to get teams on the ground, and to Mitsubishi Motors NZ Ltd and TR Group group for providing the vehicles that keep our volunteers safe and supercharge our impact.

Our current deployed team will work through until this weekend, when they will be joined by additional volunteers from Canterbury and Marlborough. Taskforce Kiwi will continue to monitor the impact and need, and will deploy further resources if required.

Mark Patterson MP Todd McClay MP Stuart Smith MP Chris Penk MP Matt Flight - Labour Candidate for Kaikōura Jamie Arbuckle MP Tom Spooner - ACT Kaikōura Veterans' Affairs New Zealand