New Zealand Army exercise: what you need to know
Sunday, 5 May 2019
Aucklanders have reported helicopters swooping low over houses on Thursday morning before landing at the Auckland Domain.
Did you hear the helicopters? Email newstips@stuff.co.nz
It's all part of a military exercise, and the New Zealand Army says people need not be worried if they hear gunfire or see military aircraft for the next three weeks.
From May 8 to May 23, the New Zealand Defence Force and a United States Army Aviation Regiment will be taking part in a counter-terrorism exercise.
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Parts of the exercise will take place in Auckland, Northland and Waiouru. It has been planned since 2018 and is not in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings, NZDF said.
Here's what you need to know.
WHAT WILL THE EXERCISE INVOLVE?
In a statement, a NZDF spokeswoman said the exercise would involved a large number of soldiers and airmen, as well as Black Hawk and NH90 helicopters.
The exercise's aim was to 'practise counter-terrorism integration techniques between the two countries', the spokeswoman said.
WHERE WILL THE EXERCISE TAKE PLACE?
Parts of the exercise will take place in Auckland, Northland and Waiouru, south of Taupō.
The public will see the army carrying out activities from helicopters in the north-west suburb of Whenuapai, south Auckland's Papakura and central Auckland.
It will involved day and night flying, as well a gunfire activities at Kaipara Air Weapons Range in Northland.
Military personnel will also carry out the exercise in Waiouru, which was once the army's largest base.
WHAT DO THE PUBLIC NEED TO DO?
The short answer is nothing. An NZDF spokeswoman said there was no need for the public to be concerned if they saw military activities taking place.
'The NZDF would like to thank the public in advance for their cooperation during the exercise,' she said.
WHAT EXERCISES HAS THE ARMY DONE IN THE PAST?
In 2018, the New Zealand army spent a month on a training exercise in Nelson.
The exercise took place in Nelson's CBD and its surrounding suburbs from February 19 to March 23.
The exercise involved moving military vehicles and soldiers with weapons on main and rural roadways as well as local buildings during the day and night.
Military personnel also had lectures and workshops during the exercise programme.
The exercise occurred after the Southern Katipo military exercise which involved 3000 people from 13 countries in scenario-based training around the top of the South Island.
Southern Katipo is New Zealand's largest military exercise and held every two years in different parts of the country.
In 2017, the Southern Katipo exercise was carried out around the Marlborough, Kaikoura, Tasman and Buller regions.
The scenario for the exercise was that the area was the troubled Becara region, suffering from political instability and unrest. New Zealand was requested to assemble and lead an intervention force comprising a coalition of Pacific Island forum member states.
Soldiers from Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Brunei, Malaysia and Timor-Leste took part in the exercise alongside New Zealand.
Small contingents from Australia, Canada, United States of America, France and Britain were also involved.
During an exercise in January 2013, a grenade started a 50-hectare scrub fire on a hot, dry day in West Melton, Canterbury, and the army had to apologise to residents.
An army exercise with high explosives had been planned in March at West Melton but NZDF said had been suspended 'in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings'.