When severe storms struck over the summer, New Zealanders were quick to rally. Two local legends, who jumped into action to help their communities, talk to the Weekly about bringing practical help and hope when it’s most needed.
Jenny Calder – Taskforce Kiwi volunteer
Whether it’s an earthquake in Morocco, wildfires in Canada or extreme weather here in Aotearoa, Taskforce Kiwi’s most deployed volunteer, Jenny Calder, is ready to use her considerable skills to help the community.
Ready to respond
“In Morocco in 2024, we were doing humanitarian aid and emergency food deliveries, and in Canada in 2023, it was basically sifting through the ashes of homes to locate precious items of significance for families,” recalls Jenny, 56.
“We’re there to help people get back on their feet when often it’s their worst day, week or month.”
Responding in the Far North
And it was no different in January, when heavy rain relentlessly battered the Far North, causing significant flooding and landslides, largely cutting off the small community of Ōakura. In her day job as a group controller for Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management, Jenny had already been helping coordinate the wider regional response.
When Taskforce Kiwi confirmed there was a need on the ground, she immediately took leave.
“We were reinstating fencelines, helping people take flood-damaged goods out of their homes and in some cases, it was just offering connection and support, helping to take those first steps in recovery,” Jenny explains.
A team of specialists
Mostly made up of veterans and emergency service workers, Taskforce Kiwi aims to leverage volunteers’ specialist skills to bridge gaps in disaster relief responses here and abroad. Jenny, who served six years with the NZ Defence Force before becoming a farmer, says they’re united by a desire to still serve.
“It’s amazing to know that when a call goes out, we have over 800 volunteers in New Zealand who are willing to put their hands up.”
A lifetime of service
Jenny has also volunteered with Land Search and Rescue for more than three decades, is part of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Assistance Team and in 2024, she was a Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year local hero medallist.
But for Jenny, it’s not about recognition.
“It’s just knowing that we can make a difference, wanting to still serve and continually being able to do it with a bunch of like-minded people.”
To volunteer, donate or find out more, visit; www.taskforcekiwi.org/
Luke Lamont – Bay of Plenty Helicopters pilot
When floodwaters surged through Te Araroa in the dark hours before dawn on January 22, nearby in Ōpōtiki, Bay of Plenty Helicopters pilot Luke Lamont was busy preparing to fly to those in need.
“A lot of phone calls were made around 4am so we’d be ready to go,” recalls Luke, 40.
“As soon as it got to daylight, we headed to Te Araroa.”
Arriving in the small East Coast community, his first job was to head to a family with five children who had been trapped on their roof, surrounded by raging water for hours.
A dramatic rescue
“The creek had risen more than halfway up the walls,” Luke tells.
“They were lucky that house didn’t get washed out to sea. They’d had a long night with young kids, and were tired, cold and wet.”
It hits close to home
A father of five himself in a blended family with wife Cara O’Neill, 36, Luke desperately felt for them.
“It definitely hits home thinking about little kids up there.”
When he arrived in the chopper, the floodwaters had receded enough that the family had managed to climb down off the roof and join dozens of people from their community waiting for help.
After the rescue
“They were all a bit worn out,” explains Luke, who flew the exhausted family to a nearby medical clinic to be checked over.
“It was a hell of a night for them.”
A coordinated effort
Then, for hours, working alongside Fire and Emergency NZ [FENZ], Luke flew other stranded locals from one end of the town, which was cut off by widespread storm damage, to the other to access support.
“FENZ were unreal! They said, ‘We need to get these people out,’ and just kept bringing us people.”
A remote rescue
One week earlier, Luke had been called out to assist a police-led operation after land slips left around 40 people and their vehicles stuck in the remote Waiōweka Gorge. Luke, who was also integral in the Cyclone Gabrielle response, is proud of the skills and regional expertise he and other small local pilots can offer.
“Utilise your locals,” he advises.
“We’re here to help, and have a lot of highly skilled people and expertise on things like where the wires [power lines] are, and how the weather works here.”
