New Zealand team assists wildfire recovery outside Halifax

Alastair Jeffrey was ready to get to work despite having just completed 15,000 miles.

While donning a beige collared shirt emblazoned with the name of his humanitarian organization – Task Force Kiwi – Jeffrey met a resident whose home was recently destroyed by a devastating wildfire outside Halifax.

He said he listened intently as the homeowner laid out the types of items they wanted to recover from the rubble.

“It was quite moving to meet these people and see their reaction,” Jeffrey said in an interview Thursday outside the St. Margarets Bay Legion, where he and other volunteers reside.

“People are very grateful that we gave up our time to come and do what we can to help.”

Jeffrey is one of seven volunteers who made the long journey from New Zealand this week to help with wildfire recovery in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains.

Taskforce Kiwi – a veteran-led charity – will support Team Rubicon Canada as they work with homeowners to search properties destroyed by the fast-moving fire that broke out May 28 in the Westwood Hills subdivision.

They’re repaying the favor, as Team Rubicon traveled to New Zealand earlier this year following severe flooding in Auckland, which was followed weeks later by a cyclone that devastated parts of Hawke’s Bay.

Some members of the Ontario-based Team Rubicon Canada, also led by veterans, who were on the ground in New Zealand, are helping with wildfire relief efforts outside Halifax.

“So there’s been a bit of a gathering of old friends here. It’s been an atmosphere of friends catching up,” said Jeffrey, adding that his team will be here for a total of 10 days.

Jeffrey, a veteran who now works in conservation and biosecurity, said his team is also interested in learning how to work in an environment affected by bushfires, as these are not so common in New Zealand, and to skills to bring back to his home country .

“It’s quite surreal,” he said. “It’s one thing to see the damage in a report or on the news, but it’s another to see it firsthand.”

Bryan Riddell, CEO of Team Rubicon Canada, said the two organizations have similar missions, which is why they formed a relationship during the creation of Taskforce Kiwi in late 2022.

He said the partnership strengthens each organization’s capabilities to provide humanitarian assistance worldwide.

“We want to be able to bring as much good to the most people as possible in the shortest amount of time,” Riddell said, adding that the two teams are learning from each other by working in different landscapes and environments.

“I think it represents a step forward in building global resilience.”

He noted that their work would not be possible without donations and support from non-profit organizations, such as Airlink Flight, which were able to cover the costs of Taskforce Kiwi’s flights.

Reach agreement

On Thursday, a number of volunteers in gray shirts chatted and laughed as they ate lunch at long tables in the legion.

A makeshift incident command center has been set up outside in a round white tent. It’s where volunteers call homeowners to set up site visits and make plans on how to search their properties.

Jeffrey said that although he arrived a month after the wildfire, emotions are still high among the residents he met.

“Sometimes you meet people who have lost everything, so they are quite emotional, but others come to terms with the event,” he said.

“We’re just trying to do our best to make this process easier for them.”

Riddell said Team Rubicon is halfway through its work order requests and plans to wind down operations in Halifax by July 8.