Always Red Spring 2012

It’s a choiceNew Zealand Red Cross aid worker Judy Owen heads to Syria

A humanitarian imperativeAdoption of an arms trade treaty

Why should you care?The imminent threat of nuclear weapons

SPRING 2012 Volume 3

The reach and activity of New Zealand Red Cross includes, amongst other humanitarian activities, building resilience

and capacity at a community level to withstand disasters and crises and responding to and enabling recovery from those traumatic events. We also have a role to speak up and speak out on humanitarian issues, both within and external to New Zealand.

As the largest humanitarian organisation in the world with over 150 years of activity behind us, Red Cross has the capacity to do great good. Red Cross is widely known and respected and enjoys permanent observer status at the United Nations, which gives Red Cross the right to speak to the United Nations General Assembly. We enjoy a special relationship with governments because of our auxiliary status and are able to bring an international perspective to discussions. Governments have the primary responsibility to address the vulnerabilities that exist in their countries, and the main auxiliary role of a national society is to supplement governments in the fulfilment of their responsibility. New Zealand Red Cross is currently involved in a number of humanitarian campaigns in the public arena, including advocating for a treaty regulating the trade of small arms, urging states to take steps to eliminate nuclear weapons and the adoption of international guidelines which will enable faster and more efficient disaster response. These are issues of great substance into which the Red Cross has put its efforts and energies.

I hope that this edition of Always Red will give you some insight into the work our people are undertaking on these and other issues to make a real difference.

John R. Ware Chief executive

In this issue

NeW ZealaNd Red CRoss alWaYs Red

official National Newsletter of New Zealand Red Cross

IssN 2253-2250 (Print)

IssN 2253-2269 (online)

spring 2012 Volume 3

National President Penny mason

Chief executive John R. Ware

New Zealand Red Cross and 188 other National societies are members of the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent societies. Together with the International Committee of the Red Cross, they make up the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. It is an independent humanitarian organisation based on the fundamental principals of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary service, unity and universality.

New Zealand Red Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity and enhancing community resilience.

An effective Arms Trade TreatyA humanitarian imperative

This is a choiceJudy Owen heads to Syria

Why should we care?Nuclear weapons pose a global threat

Expect the unexpectedHayley Presling on Red Cross’ new disaster response team

There is always a reasonRick Eisenhart loves every minute of it

A small miraclefuture of disaster response

NaTIoNal oFFICe

Po Box 12140, Wellington 69 molesworth street, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Phone: 04 471 8250 Fax: 04 471 8251

email: [email protected] Website: www.redcross.org.nz

editor: Justine Turner email: [email protected]

design & Print: makeReady email: [email protected]

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� students Jason sebestian and olivia Cramond grab a ‘gem’.

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New Zealand Red Cross Digital Media Coordinator Kelsi Doscher went to

the opening of a new Red Cross shop to launch a social media campaign. This is her story.

New Zealand Red Cross Digital Media Coordinator Kelsi Doscher went to

the opening of a new Red Cross shop to launch a social media campaign. This is her story.

Red CRoss’

WaRdRobeChallenge

When I think of a Red Cross shop I think of an approachable, welcoming second hand shop where I just might find my next clothing bargain. as a shopper, what I don’t think about is the work that goes into setting up and maintaining, or what a Red Cross shop means to the community it serves and the people who shop there.

In early may I had the opportunity to visit the new matamata shop before the doors opened. Red Cross’ communications intern and massey university student olivia Cramond and I travelled to matamata to film a promotional video for World Red Cross Red Crescent day which this year encourages youth involvement with a Red Cross’ wardrobe challenge.

We arrived a day before it opened, in the middle of a training session for the shop volunteers who were

preparing for the opening. It was a great opportunity to interact, hear their stories

and get to know what goes on behind the scenes.

Filming the promotional video included a mandatory browse through every item in the shop in order to select three outfits each for two models, and quietly put aside things to try on later.

It was a mini film set complete with cameras, reflectors, volunteer

wardrobe, fashion experts, assistants, a journalist and cameraman, and a

continuous flow of interested spectators trying to get a sneak a peek.

Four hours later with filming complete, the matamata shop was ready to open its doors to excited and inquisitive shoppers, and we were ready to launch the wardrobe challenge.

The challenge was launched on New Zealand Red Cross’ Facebook page on 8 may, World Red Cross Red Crescent day. Within seconds it had the attention of students throughout the country.

The challenge asked people to head to their nearest Red Cross shop, spend no more than $50 to find that gem of an outfit, post a photo on New Zealand Red Cross’ Facebook page. The photo with the most ‘likes’ won a $400 Country Road gift card.

The votes flooded in during the two week competition with six amazing entries, more than

2,000 votes and 18,000 unique page visits. The winning outfit, with more than 800 votes was Christchurch university student Becca Gaunt with her $23 bargain outfit from the Church Corner shop in Christchurch. Becca, a law student and big fan of op shopping and Country Road, was delighted with her new outfit and the prospect of a Country Road shopping spree.

What this experience offered me went beyond a successful campaign and an opportunity to work alongside youth in our communities. It painted a picture of who benefits from Red Cross shops; a place for communities to come together, whether as a volunteer, a shop manager, a passer-by or a shopper; and a place where funds raised go back into supporting the work Red Cross does in communities. If anything, my trip to matamata and working on this wardrobe challenge made me proud to work for an organisation that, on the streets of New Zealand, makes a difference to the lives of the people who need it most.

� Winner Becca Gaunt in her winning outfit.

� olivia Cramond searching for her outfit.

alWaYs Red 3

A humAnitAriAn

imperAtiveIn many parts of the world,

weapons are easy to obtain and armed violence pervasive

as a result of the poorly regulated international trade in conventional arms. Civilians continue to face the risk of being injured, killed or displaced by weapons-related violence even after an armed conflict has ended. Each year hundreds of thousands of civilians pay the price for the widespread availability and misuse of conventional weapons. It is astounding that, while the international trade or movement in dangerous materials – including hazardous chemicals and pesticides, substances that deplete the ozone layer, hazardous waste, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances – is regulated, an international treaty governing the trade in conventional weapons does not yet exist.

Adopting an effective Arms Trade Treaty:

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Unfortunately this treaty was not adopted at the United

Nations conference. If adopted, it would have been an historic advance and a strong response to the global humanitarian problems caused by unregulated and irresponsible arms transfers. The ICRC is committed to continuing to work with States, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as with the United Nations and other organizations, to ensure that a robust Arms Trade Treaty is adopted in the near future.

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to enhance protection for civilians in armed conflicts and post-conflict situations by strengthening controls on arms transfers. united Nations agencies, regional organisations and a broad range of civil society organisations have also called for a treaty establishing strict standards for the international transfer of conventional weapons. since 2006, the united Nations General assembly has acknowledged on numerous

In July, for the first time since the establishment of the united Nations, governments had the opportunity to remedy this absence of international standards, and be called upon to fulfil their responsibility to do so, when negotiations for an international arms Trade Treaty were held in New York. There is now broad-based support for the adoption of a treaty that would establish strict standards for the transfer of all conventional weapons. Governments should seize this unique opportunity to curb the costs, human and social, exacted by poorly regulated international arms transfers.

In most of the countries in which it works, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement is confronted with the damaging consequences to civilians of insufficient control over transfers of conventional weapons: it provides medical care for tens of thousands of victims of armed conflict, including the disabled who are treated in rehabilitation clinics that it runs or supports. all too often assistance for vulnerable people is simply not available, humanitarian operations being frequently suspended or delayed because of armed security threats. as long as weapons are too easily available, this will facilitate violations of international humanitarian law and endanger the provision of humanitarian assistance.

over the past 10 years, efforts to limit the human cost of poorly regulated arms transfers have gathered momentum. around the world, National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross have repeatedly appealed to governments

occasions that the absence of uniform international standards for transferring conventional weapons contributes to armed conflict, displacement, crime and terrorism, which, in turn, undermine peace, reconciliation, safety, security, stability and sustainable social and economic development.

...the treAty should cover All weApons.

under the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, all states have an obligation to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. This entails a responsibility to ensure that the arms and ammunition they transfer do not end up in the hands of those who may be expected to use them in violation of international humanitarian law. To achieve this, the arms Trade Treaty being negotiated next month should require states to assess whether the weapons they are transferring will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law; the treaty should prohibit transfers when there is a clear risk of that happening.

Conventional weapons of any kind can be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law and grave human rights violations. For this reason, the treaty should cover all such weapons. It is equally important that the treaty cover ammunition, which is the “fuel” of weapons-related violence. exempting ammunition transfers would undermine the treaty’s benefits in the short and medium terms. There are already massive numbers of weapons in circulation, but their impact depends on a constant supply of ammunition.

Negotiating an arms Trade Treaty is a historic opportunity to reduce the incalculable human and social costs of easy access to conventional arms and ammunition. The implementation of a strong treaty would save lives, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and reinforce compliance with international humanitarian law. It is now time for governments to renew their commitment to the Geneva Conventions by regulating international transfers of conventional weapons.

� armed youngsters in Beirut.

� south Viet Nam. Children playing around.

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“my father albie Jack of the 25th Battalion and his older brother Wes were in the prison camp- PG 57 udine, Northern Italy. The camp had over 5000 prisoners of war of all different nationalities – australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Indians, Cypriots, Greeks and serbs. Within this camp a group of prisoners got together and realised they all had something in common, their love of cricket. They decided to play cricket to fill time, keep fit and hold their sanity but, they needed a cricket

ball. It was decided to use the strings of Red Cross parcels the

camp received. The ball was knitted out of the string and then boiled down. To get the proportions correct they had to make it much larger than your usual cricket ball because the boiling made it

shrink. The boiling also made it hard as rock, perfect for

cricket.

during a friendly game of cricket sock simmons an australian, shouted to the batsman “you stupid bastard, hit the ball!” one of the carabinieri (guard) overheard this and immediately thought the australian had called him a bastard. Without a second thought he shot him. Just like that the cricketer was dead. He was given a funeral as similar to a military funeral they could achieve from within the camp. The wartime cricket game continued on.”

Jack was told of this story by his father when they were visiting the New Zealand Cricket museum just

CRICkeT

after it opened in 1987. underneath the heading “Cricketers at War” sat the ball, and his father reminisced of his time playing.

People have come from far and wide to view the famous war time Red Cross cricket ball. Jack remembers a “chap” from Greymouth coming into the clothing store where he worked. This man mentioned his reason for the visit to Wellington was to view the ball that he had played cricket with during the war. This man who described himself as a “top bowler” had played alongside his father at Camp 57.

This cricket ball can be seen by any New Zealander, in Wellington at the Basin Reserve’s New Zealand Cricket museum.

Red CROSS’BAllPeter Jack of Strathmore Wellington tells the

story of a Red Cross Cricket Ball. Each time I work at Red Cross my thoughts always fall

to the remarkable cricketers at war and how Red Cross has helped and continues to help prisoners at war in so many ways...

...they all had something

in common, their love of

cricket.

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In the days before she left, media interest was high. They wanted to know

why a New Zealand nurse wanted to go into a country on the brink of civil war. Was it a choice and what difference could one person really make?

Judy owen says this is what she does, a lifestyle that has spanned 32 years, but for Judy it is also more than that, it is a privilege.

as she sat in the sun in her onehunga home Judy owen listed countries she has worked in, Pakinstan, somalia, afghanistan, Indonesia, sudan in fact in you could probably name a country involved in some sort of conflict, where she has been.

July marked Judy’s latest mission into a conflict zone, heading to damascus in syria to support those in need.

Working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supporting the syrian arab Red Crescent (saRC) whose humanitarian operations remain virtually the only ones working in the hardest-hit areas in the country,

as Judy arrived, the ICRC upgraded its situation

choice

� The ICRC and the syrian arab Red Crescent distribute food parcels to 6,000 displaced persons and residents.

alWaYs Red 9

humanitarian challenges in the world today.

a single act of violence that damages a hospital or kills health-care workers has a knock-on effect, depriving many patients of treatment they would otherwise have received from the facility or workers in question.

In Tripoli Judy was held at knifepoint, in Yugaslavia held for two hours at gunpoint and in sri lanka saw bombs drop from under a plane half a kilometer from her convoy up the road.

“I have been lucky. my family and friends still worry, someone asked me the other day if I was completely insane for going to syria, but then they know this is me, this is what I do. again security is paramount for me.”

Judy’s first mission was in 1980 to Cambodia Kampuchea in her early twenties, seeking a short break from her

report to media. It had previously

classed the violence in syria as localised civil

wars between government forces and armed opposition groups in three flashpoints – Homs, Hama and Idlib. But hostilities had spread to other areas, leading to the conclusion that the fighting meet its threshold for an internal armed conflict, or civil war.

The ICRC and the saRC teams take considerable risks performing their tasks. However security takes precedence and is constantly assessed.

“I am of no illusion to what I will face when I arrive. I am very conscious that I will be working in a conflict area. But I know for Red Cross security is paramount.

“security is everything while you are away. If the situation changes at any stage and we can’t move, we can’t move. It’s happened, there have been times when we have had to stand-down go back to the office and wait.“

since the beginning of the year, the ICRC has distributed aid for more than 400,000 people adversely affected by the violence in syria. overall needs are still significant, however, and far from being met. In accordance with international humanitarian law, the wounded and the sick must receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least delay, the medical care and attention they require, and all possible measures must be taken to facilitate their evacuation. The parties must also take all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population, including allowing civilians to move to safer areas.

But like most aid workers across the world, Judy has faced danger. Violence against health-care workers, facilities and beneficiaries is growing and remains one of the most serious

job as a nurse at Wanganui hospital; a time where she missed vanilla milkshakes and cheeseburgers. Today at 58, with the cravings not quite the same, Judy is again seeking six months leave to undertake a mission; but this time from auckland hospital to go to syria.

“It is a bit of a privilege to get to some of these countries and be part of what is happening

“The most exciting time, in all my years, was being in Banda aceh when, after 30 years of conflict, a peace agreement was signed after the tsunami. It was a great achievement and I was thrilled to be part of that. unfortunately success stories like that do not happen very often.

“despite the fact that the conflict situation is the common denominator for all the countries I have worked in, each contract is different. sometimes the field work is great, sometimes the team is great...and sometimes the local staff stand out. so each place brings its own special moments.

“I’m conscious though that there will be a time when I need to think about stopping. But as long as I keep enjoying it and I can get leave from work it’s not on my agenda. If I start to wane or if my situation changes, then I think it will be time.

“someone gave me a card the other day that said decisions are made in the mind, choices are made in the heart. For me syria a choice.”

� local people help syrian arab Red Crescent volunteers unload food parcels from a truck into a warehouse.

� Judy owen being interviewed by Television New Zealand.

...decisions are made in the

mind, choices in the heart.

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��Judy’s lucky charm she takes with her on every mission.


Hancock was outside washing his car and he knew instinctively something was wrong by the bellowing coming from his house. He rushed inside to see his seven year old screaming and his wife yelling for his help. “everything happened so fast, I remember feeling frightened, angry, frustrated and worried, all within a split second. Then I immediately remembered what I had learnt about burns at the first aid course.”

Hancock had completed a New Zealand Red Cross first aid course six months earlier; he says this knowledge enabled him to immediately swing into action by picking up his son and taking him to the shower. He knew it was of upmost importance to flush the burn with cool water. His Red Cross first aid training quickly came back and he put his son underneath the shower fully clothed, remembering that if you attempt to remove clothing that has boiling water on it, you run the risk of spreading the burn.

Nathan described the pain as nine out of 10, but once he was in the shower he was just cold all over. Hancock sent his wife to get a bucket of warm water for his son to stand in and a woollen

hat to keep him warm while his neck and back was continually flushed with cold water. This enabled him to step back and judge the severity of the burn. although the burn had already begun to blister, due to the location and size of it, Hancock felt that 25 minutes in the shower combined with wrapping the burn in gladwrap should be enough to get them to accident and emergency, an ambulance was not necessary.

Hancock’s knowledge enabled him, his wife and even Nathan to stay calm. “I was glad that mum and dad knew what to do and took care of me, it wasn’t that scary once they told me what they were doing,” said Nathan.

upon arrival at accident and emergency, the doctor praised Hancock for his quick thinking and the

Accidents hAppen

� Nathan Hancock in Kona, Hawaii.

use of gladwrap. He told him that this was had been integral in lessening the severity of the burn. after dressing the wound Hancock and his family were able to go home and now, just a month on, the burn has not only healed but left no scars.

Hancock owes this successful healing to his quick thinking that would not have been possible without his New Zealand Red Cross first aid training. “There would have been nothing worse than not knowing what to do. It was timely that I completed a Red Cross first aid course late last year and knew the key components of dealing with burns.”

Before the course Hancock said he knew very little about burns, just the need to flush them with cold water. The first aid course taught him how to treat the burn, step-by-step to ensure he did not do anything to worsen the physical damage. “Without the course I would not have known how long was needed of cool water flushing. Twenty five minutes is such a long time for the wee guy, but I knew I could use tempered water rather than freezing cold and I was aware of hypothermic dangers.”

Though Hancock completed the course for work he knows it will come in useful in all situations in his life. “Kids will always be kids, something will always happen when they need first aid attention, even just the minor stuff. I am so glad I know how to administer this effectively.”

I was glad Mum and Dad knew what to do and took care of me.

Well aware of the many dangers the kitchen holds to children, Matt Hancock always told his son not to run in the kitchen. But accidents happen. His son Nathan, being his usual

boisterous self, ran through the kitchen at the same time his mum was taking boiling water from the stove to the sink. He bumped his head on the bottom of the saucepan and boiling water splashed down his neck and back.

alWaYs Red 11

Pain raced up my neck and arms as he pushed my head further into my lap and pulled my jacket over my face. I didn’t resist; I couldn’t.

“answer me,” he yelled closer than before. I felt oddly ill. “Who the hell is your leader and where are you from?” The butt of his gun jarred the side of my ribs, then again on my back. I bit my lip so I wouldn’t let out my discomfort. I knew I could be dragged somewhere else, I was cold, wet, tired and sore.

But all I could think about was, what should I say, what should I do?

as a former journalist and now a communications practitioner I have written about these incidents on numerous occassions. either from the view that every grim detail is necessary for a compelling news story to offering a more controlled and respectable response.

That was day five.

I can’t really talk anymore about what lead up to this incident, how it folded out on what happened next. But I can tell you it made me think.

We hear about the outcome of these stories all the time, unfortunately, more and more, the outcome is less than desired. We all mutter how frightening, and do what we need to following it. But here I was in the middle of a training session; it all felt slightly real. or at least maybe it was that I could somehow imagine it now.

I was one of 14 people selected to undertake New Zealand Red Cross’ aid worker training course, made up of two components, both of which are compulsory; the international mobalisation and preparation for action or ImPaCT course, an intensive four-day training programme, and

A sneak peak at life as an

Aid worker

� erin o’Connor dousing the flames.

“Who the hell is your leader?” His face was so close I could feel his breath as he screamed at me. I could not see who he was and I didn’t dare look. I was kneeling in long wet grass, with

my hands on my head. It was pouring with rain. It was freezing cold.


three day Red Cross training. Together both prepare aid workers to function effectively during field missions.

It is a rare opportunity to be invited to partake in ImPaCT, so for me, it was an honour I must say. But it was hard work.

When we meet as 14 unfamiliar faces early that first saturday morning, the chatter was polite but the nerves were clear. The timetable we were given didn’t say a lot, but the rumours from participants gone-by put everyone on edge.

It also did not help, that a certain lady, defining herself only as ‘good-cop’, laid down the ground-rules as she mustered us onto a bus. Confined to the barracks of the New Zealand Police College in Porirua, “dubbed alphaland”, she banned us from leaving the site and no visitors were allowed.

It was, we were told, unsafe not to obey these rules.

Classes began as soon as we arrived.

Three of us to a floor, one shower. That meant a bright and early 6am start to make it in time for breakfast and then seated in class by 8am.

days were filled with theory, broken up with interactive role playing and activities.

day three was our first taste of conflict. spilt into teams and sent to different rooms, each playing a different stakeholder in a community – the national society, beneficiaries, branch and Federation – to tackle a response to a national disaster. enter media, politicians, other national societies, visitors, helicopters and a whole lot of noise. let’s just say one tiny room was filled with so many people we could not hear or move. Well organised response, perhaps not, but a lesson well learnt on disaster management, listening, stakeholder engagement and of course trust.

That evening after dinner we headed to the crime house. The place where police practice crime scene examination, one could only image what happens there. For us our situation involved a young boy displaced during a conflict, imprisoned with his family looking for him; a mix of international humanitarian law, ICRC operations and restoring family links. Watching role playing from

above I had to laugh at New Zealand Red Cross staff doled out as actors; the alcoholic prison owner with elicit material on his desk to the injured victim, afraid and scared in a prison cell. What would you say to find out what you need to know, how far can you push and how should you act when faced with people from different ethnicities in tense situations?

By day four we were already exhausted. long days, a lot of information, situations to act out and sometimes with little food, we soon discovered if someone said they were hungry we “missed” a break, so we were learnt to keep quiet. When we arrived to class on day five we thought

nothing of the fact that we were about to undertake something rather different altogether.

It was an overnight exertion that tested our learnings, stamina, ability and to be honest patience.

It was not until we got back to the barracks on day six. Wet, exhausted and starving that we realised how far we had come.

We left the next afternoon filled with knowledge and a new found respect for our aid worker programme. It was no surprise that the programme received high praise following an independent review released in late may. aid workers, staff, the International Committee of Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the New Zealand ministry of Foreign affairs and Trade were asked to provide feedback on the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of the aid worker programme and the prerequisite training to be an aid worker (what I had just done) ImPaCT.

From an eggcercise and crime house to international humanitarian law and life in a delegation, New Zealand Red Cross’ ImPaCT course tests, pushes and teaches it participants. But then that’s just a look into what life could be like as an overseas aid worker.

� Rebbecca Bibby and ellie seo log their coordinates into the GPs.

� The next morning. Packing to head back to base.

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Why shouldyoung New Zealanderscare about

With the passing of the Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament

and Arms Control Act on June 8 1987 New Zealand breathed a sigh of relief as the long fought battle for a nuclear-free country was over. Nuclear weapons and ships carrying them were banned and we could rest easy that ‘weapons of mass destruction’ would not pass onto our shores.

By Lisa Duff

World War II. Nagasaki. a few moments after the august 9th 1945 bombardement. �


Why shouldyoung New Zealanderscare about

Twenty five years later and we are celebrating the precedent our country set as a nuclear-free zone and embracing an important part of our national identity. While recognising this special historical moment we should also be throwing the issue of nuclear disarmament back onto the agenda and raising awareness of what is still an ongoing international humanitarian issue.

as young nuclear disarmament academic Natasha Barnes explains, “our anti-nuclear policies are much more than a historical document or a snapshot of our nation a generation ago. It was only ever a starting point, a step towards a much larger goal; a world free of nuclear weapons”.

Barnes has been a strong advocate for nuclear disarmament since studying the subject at university. she was shocked at the continuing threat of nuclear weapons and lack of awareness amongst young people such as herself.

“Young New Zealanders should care about nuclear weapons because they are a truly global threat,” she explains.

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When the first nuclear bomb was dropped over Hiroshima during the second world war the immediate destruction and ongoing effects to victims was unthinkable. approximately 80,000 people were killed in the initial explosion, while many more were seriously injured or fell victim to the long term effects of radiation including internal bleeding, cancer and malformations to children born to mothers exposed to the radiation.

shortly after, the second and last nuclear weapon ever used in warfare was dropped over Nagasaki, again in Japan. The consequences were just as disastrous. as the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons were thrust into the public eye it was only a matter of time before campaigns to ban the weapons started.

In New Zealand during the 1950s the campaign for nuclear disarmament organisation was established. This began a string of protests, including petitions and peace flotillas protesting against the French nuclear test site on the muroroa atoll in French Polynesia. one of the protest ships famously being the Rainbow Warrior. The Kirk government at the time was in full support of these protests even sending over its own navy frigates to join the enthusiastic protestors.

However, it wasn’t until the fourth labour government came into parliament in 1984 that the decades of protesting were going to pay off. Then Prime minister david lange famously declared “I can smell the uranium on your breath as you lean

forward” as he argued that there was no moral case for nuclear weapons. His goal and that of the many peace protestors in New Zealand was then engrained in law with the passing of the Nuclear Free Zone, disarmament and arms Control act.

For New Zealand Red Cross this was a huge accomplishment and step in the right direction for humanity. Nuclear weapons could no longer pass onto our shores and ships containing nuclear weapons were banned from the surrounding waters.

New Zealand would not be immune from

the devastating effects of

nuclear warfare.although nuclear weapons cannot pass through our borders, “New Zealand would not be immune from the devastating effects of nuclear warfare” says New Zealand Red Cross advocacy and Policy manager Gabrielle emery.

Nuclear weapons can affect our country as there are now nine countries in possession of, or with access to, approximately 30,000 of them. Russia and the usa still keep around 2,000 weapons which are ready to launch at a moment’s notice. under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons these states said they would not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states unless it was in retaliation to an attack in alliance with another nuclear weapons state. However, Barnes says: “The four new states; India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan are locked into conflict flashpoints where the same rules around deterrence do not apply”.

The humanitarian and environmental consequences of a nuclear attack today would be disastrous. although the number of nuclear weapons has decreased, the nuclear weapons of today are smaller; more advanced and have the ability to wipe out civilisation.

“Red Cross has concluded that there is no adequate international capacity to assist the victims of nuclear attacks, and such conclusions have consequences, it means that the only cure is prevention,” says emery.

The scale of the destruction from a nuclear bomb would mean there wouldn’t be enough relief workers for the number of victims. The aid workers themselves would also not be immune to the radiation, increasing the number of possible fatalities. In the aftermath of the Hiroshima bomb Japanese Red Cross workers risked their own lives and became sick themselves from radiation poisoning.

another issue for aid workers will be the ability to deal with the disaster when many hospitals and main centres were destroyed. Temporary hospitals and shelters will be unable to cope with the swarm of care-intensive injuries

� World War II. Hiroshima Nakatu. after the explosion of the atom bomb, air-raid shelter remaining intact.


suffered by the victims.

after the Hiroshima disaster Red Cross set up relief centres but their efforts were hampered by the extreme conditions, radiation and incurable injuries suffered by thousands of victims. Nuclear warfare, with today’s weapons, would result in much larger destruction that could spread worldwide. For this reason we need nuclear weapons gone.

For many young New Zealanders nuclear disarmament is a non issue and something far from their minds. The nuclear weapon protests seem like a lifetime ago. There is the idea that the New Zealand public have done all they can and nuclear weapons are now an issue in the hands of other countries and international leaders.

“I think it is important that young New Zealanders know that they can question our role in the world” says Barnes. “New Zealand citizens can have a role in shaping government policy; we can challenge our leaders to positive steps of change.” our leaders are the ones representing New Zealand on an international scale and are able to become involved in and influence discussions to ban nuclear weapons.

Barnes believes many young New Zealanders don’t realise they have the capacity to make such a global change. Her experience attending the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the united Nations in New York is what led Barnes to realise that “all levels and sectors of society need to be engaged on these issues to create the political will to change”.

“It is the New Zealand publics continuing support for disarmament that enables our diplomats and academics to take on international roles” says Barnes.

The more people in the world that are outspoken and against nuclear weapons, the more pressure there will be for nuclear weapon states to get rid of their weapons.

last year the Red Cross Crescent movement, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross Crescent societies adopted the resolution “towards the elimination of nuclear weapons” at the Council of delegates meeting. at the highest decision

making body of the movement it was found that using nuclear weapons contravenes international humanitarian law. International humanitarian law protects vulnerable people and countries and, in the case of a nuclear explosion, there is no guarantee these countries will be safe.

“The resolution urges states to take steps towards eliminating such weapons, through an international treaty. It also calls upon national societies, like New Zealand Red Cross, to raise awareness about this

issue and to call on their governments to ensure these weapons are eliminated” explains emery.

a major focus for New Zealand Red Cross will be getting more young people involved in the debate and encouraging them to be global advocates just like many of their parents or grandparents were. Red Cross will be raising awareness of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons by rolling out a host of innovative and interactive tools.

“later this year we will be asking New Zealanders to sign up to an online petition through our make nuclear weapons the target website, and we will be making sure that we ensure New Zealanders’ voice are heard on the global stage,” says emery of the upcoming events.

as a country we need to once again make nuclear weapons the target again and not rest until they have been eliminated completely.

...using nuclear weapons

contravenes international humanitarian

law.

� World War II. Nagasaki. lavishing first aid on a victim burned by the atom bomb.

alWaYs Red 17

ExpEct the unExpEctEd

Comfort zones do not exist at the time of disasters and catastrophes. When we respond to these events it’s not about the level of luxury of our accommodation, or the gourmet rating of our food, or the number of days we might expect to get our routine eight hours of shut-

eye. We all know that when things go wrong in a big way, these things mean nothing. It becomes about the people we are sent to help, and ensuring they have all the support that we can possibly give them. It means living rough, pushing through the hard times and making sure we are self-sufficient so as not to be a drain on what are most likely to be very limited resources in times of great need.

By Hayley Presling


If any of the 60 candidates sent to auckland for Red Cross national disaster response team selection weekend on march 16 to18 had any difference in opinion than that above, they were in for a very uncomfortable lesson in what responding to a disaster was all about.

That humid weekend in march was designed to test us. It was designed to choose those of us who were mentally, physically and emotionally able to cope with all that was thrown at us. It was created to simulate real conditions that we may face if another disaster like the Canterbury quakes happened again. There would be no hotels with soft beds, no five star catering, or much sleeping!

From the moment we arrived at Red

Cross’ auckland warehouse fresh off the plane from Wellington we knew we were in for a long weekend. We were immediately organised into six squads of 10 and assigned a leader. From here we received our first task: organise and transport all the gear we would need for the weekend out to our base at Camp adair in the Hunua ranges. simple task? Not likely!

Confusion reigned supreme but after some serious discussions and a reassertion of the hierarchy we ended up safely at our destination and began setting up camp. all of the gear tents needed to be up and sorted before any personal needs could be taken care of. If you’d asked me before I left for auckland that weekend if I thought I’d be setting up my own one man tent in a large grass field at 2am on saturday morning, I’d have told you “no way”! If you’d asked me if I thought

we’d have to survive 24 hours on an army type ration pack I’d have said “not likely”! But like I said, comfort was not a key word for this weekend.

I’m sure it was only a few minutes that passed before we were up again at 6am. after a quick scoff of muesli from my rations I joined the group and you could feel the anticipation building of what we might expect from the day. my personal motto for the weekend “expect the unexpected” served me well, and when the surprises kept coming I was able to take it in my stride.

saturday consisted of six different assessments, each being an hour and a half long. each one was meticulously planned to assess us either physically, emotionally, mentally, or technically, or all of those at once! Teamwork was essential to succeeding in the

given time, and by the end of the day the six teams had bonded within their squads in quite an extraordinary manner. It was like we’d

known each other and been best mates for years! This

� Potential national disaster response team members tackling another challenge.

alWaYs Red 19

of kilograms of gear across the camp, then single file across a swing bridge at midnight to set up an evacuation camp was no easy feat, let alone coming on the back of one of the most physical days I’d ever endured! as a deputy squad leader I found myself calling on every last scrap of energy that I had to get the job done, all the while trying to keep the smiles on the faces of the other members in the squad, and keeping up team moral. It had been an emotional roller coaster that day, trying to stop the tiredness and fatigue from taking over and allowing my emotions to get the better of me. Head down, tail up, keep up, shut up, smile; that was how I was going to survive this weekend.

By the end of that night our sleeping bags and paper thin air mattresses felt like a luxury. so pleased were we to see our pillows and rest our weary bodies, nobody was complaining that in reality we were sleeping on the ground with nothing more between us than a ground sheet and small amount of air!

sunday morning started crisp and dewy, but soon the sun was up warming our weary bones. stiff bodies began emerging from tent city to the news that ration packs were a thing of the past, and we were allowed to treat ourselves to cereal and toast from the emergency operations centre building. This was enough to put a spring in my stride and I began to look forward to what the day had in store for us. some squads were tasked to go and set up a real welfare centre to process and register a number of locals who had come in to play displaced persons. my squad was placed on camp clean up. our squad leader was busy with other tasks, so I stepped in and guided our squad through an efficient and thorough clean up and pack down of the camp. even though we were cleaning toilets and taking down tents, I knew that we still had an assessor watching us to gauge our attitudes and

enthusiasm for even the most menial of tasks. Not much of responding to a disaster is glorious and wonderful, therefore it was a perfect test for us and a good chance to show that we were prepared to do whatever was necessary to get the job done. as a squad we did ourselves proud by the way we conducted ourselves and instead of grizzling and winging, we chose to joke and laugh to keep up the team spirit.

after a good wholesome BBQ lunch at Red Cross’ auckland warehouse, we started to drift off in separate directions to head back to our respective homes. It was with a tinge of sadness that we all said goodbye. Quite a number of great friendships had developed over such a short period, and many of these people will remain friends of mine.

I often fondly look back on this national disaster response team selection weekend and think about what it did for me as a person and as an emergency responder. I went into it fully expecting that I’d be tested and pushed to the limits and extremities in every respect - physically, mentally, emotionally and technically… and I wasn’t disappointed! I had to do things that I’d never done before, I had to work with and bond with nine other people who I had mostly never met before, but all of whom were amazingly talented in their own respects. I had to push myself beyond my physical limit, get up off the ground when I thought that my body just couldn’t go any more, override my brain telling me that I was tired and sore and in desperate need of sleep all the while keeping a smile on my face. I constantly found myself thinking that I am here because I chose to be here, I am here because this is what spins my wheels, it’s what I love to do. Given the opportunity to swap that selection weekend for a luxury five star weekend getaway with hotels and hot pools, I’d have not changed it for the world. That weekend taught me things about myself that I never knew. It showed me that with some guts and determination you can achieve anything that you set your mind to. But most of all it taught me that this was what I wanted to be doing. Without any doubt in my mind I was where I wanted to be and I loved every second of it, no matter how hard it seemed at the time. I’ve found my niche.

is what is required in a real disaster, you will not always be working with the team you know, and you have to quickly learn to trust and to get along with people from all different walks of life. That is a trait that not everyone possesses, so it was definitely another part of the weekend test.

many struggled and fell short on this day. The 4km stretcher carry, over undulating ground and varying terrain with a live person, and carrying a set of solar panels a few kilometers up a steep forest track, followed by filling countless sacks with wet, heavy sand to divert the course of the small river, certainly showed who was physically up to the challenge.

We all pretty much collapsed into a large heap at the end of our last assessment. We broke out the instant noodles for dinner, and for those of us who’d been savvy with our rations that day had a small chocolate bar to savor whilst we reflected on what had been quite an amazing day! With the promise of a much deserved rest that evening we were told we’d be having a presentation on the future of the national disaster response team, and about the things that we’d do for further training and courses. To be honest though, my gut was telling me that something was not quite right when we got dismissed and told we could climb into our sleeping bags at 9.30pm. It was too easy, too comfortable and I knew that was not what this weekend was all about. They hadn’t “broken” a lot of us yet, and my instincts turned out to be right!

No more than 15 minutes after we’d stripped off the heavy boots, the smelly overalls, and drifted off into a much needed slumber we were abruptly woken with calls over the radio to squad leaders advising of an immediate evacuation of the camp and to get all supplies we may need. Half dressed, half-awake bodies scrambled out of the tents trying to make sense of it all. at the completion of this exercise the same process followed; getting back to bed, removing the heavy layers of clothes and drifting off to sleep. again, not long after getting to sleep we were awoken and advised to expect 100 evacuees in an hour’s time and to set up an evacuation centre across the other side of the camp. I can assure you that lugging hundreds

With guts and determination

you can do anything you set

your mind to.


as alexander and her sister headed home, their ordinary Tuesday afternoon changed when they stumbled upon a car accident in lower Hutt. With people already surrounding the car she thought, “this doesn’t look good we better see if there is anything we can do”.

everything she had learnt a month earlier came flooding back. an automatic urge to help took over and without hesitation she began methodically assessing the scene.

“after turning off the engine, checking for a response then pulse, we realised we needed to act quickly as he was not breathing and had no pulse. I asked bystanders if they called an ambulance and they said they had,” alexander explained.

alexander began CPR and continued chest compressions for 17 minutes before it became clear no one had called an ambulance. something she found extremely unusual. “Normally the emergency services are inundated with phone calls from people wanting to make sure they are aware of the accident,” she said. “But in this case ours was the first call.” after their call paramedics arrived within minutes.

In the heat of the situation alexander said there was no time for feelings. It is only now she that she reflects back on it with her sister that she realises what she did. “We are just absolutely wrapped that he has pulled through. I understand he went through a triple by-pass and is about to head home to his family. That is just awesome.”

New Zealand Red Cross first aid trainer that taught alexander, Josh morton is also wrapped. He says this demonstrates how important by-stander CPR is prior to the arrival of paramedics, “it reiterates the motto shared by all first aid trainers; know it before you need it.”

For morton, the positive outcome justifies the importance of his job. “It is great to know that people are taking on the information we are giving them

and leaving Red Cross trainings with the ability to make a difference in critical situations.”

alexander has been first on the scene at a few accidents rushing to help without assessing the situation for hazards to the injured, or herself. Without first aid training she said she did little more than use common sense, ring 111 and “panic a wee bit”. The training enabled her to be calm, collected and make a difference.

“This is why the New Zealand Red Cross course was utterly invaluable,” alexander said. “as long as you are abled bodied you can do it, everyone can do it, everyone at the scene could have done it, they just need to know how.”

“Kiwis are kind of funny. We all see the message; we all know it is important to learn first aid. However, we have the mind frame of we will get around to it, but often never do.”

alexander wants to get out there and tell people to get around to it now. “Who knows when you will need it? a family member, a friend, a colleague or a complete stranger could need your help tomorrow.”

red cross trAined Jodie AlexAnder sAves life

A month on from completing a New Zealand Red Cross first aid course Jodie Alexander used those skills

to save a stranger’s life.

...the New Zealand Red Cross course

is utterly invaluable.

alWaYs Red 21

Being first on the scene comes with the job of being a fire fighter. But, when his team arrived at the Trans World airline, Flight 800 crash off the coast of New York City, it was a totally different experience. To this day New Zealand Red Cross first aid trainer Rick eisenhart says it was one of the worst tragedies he has witnessed, describing it as “horrifically mimicking scenes from the Titanic”.

No matter what the situation eisenhart strongly believes, “you are at a given place, at a given time for a given reason. That’s that, you have to move forward”. This belief was tested not long after moving to New Zealand. eisenhart was woken in the middle of the night by a call from his brother-in-law. The phone call was brief; “Rick, I don’t know what to say to you. Just turn on your TV they have flown a plane into the Trade Centre”. He could do nothing but sit and watch as his friends, were deployed to the World Trade Centre. Being a us citizen in New Zealand at the time of 9/11 was hard enough, let alone a fire fighter, who six months prior would have been there helping. He lost his very best friend that day. Born just two hours apart they were inseparable from birth. Their bassinettes were side by side in the hospital, they grew up together, went to school together and fought fires together. Yet miraculously, another of his good friends who worked in the World Trade Centre was saved. late to work that day he was stuck in traffic on the New Jersey side of the building as the plane hit just two floors below his office. as hard as this was for eisenhart, it reiterated that you are indeed in a given place, at a given time for a given reason.

Before Red Cross, eisenhart recalls first aid trainings as an experience where he had to stick pens in his eyes just to stay awake. upon applying for a job as a Red Cross first aid trainer eisenhart discussed with his interviewer south Island Training manager Janet Carmichael, the need to have fun during the trainings. He received the job and immediately set about trying to create a class where students would learn through a fun environment and therefore remember. He knew this would happen through a balance of stories, hands-on activities and “lots of laughs” along the way.

There is always a

reasonRick Eisenhart has spent the last

35 years of his life helping people, first as a New York Firefighter

and now he is in his tenth year as a New Zealand Red Cross first aid trainer. Such experiences have left him with some truly extraordinary and inspirational stories to tell. Eisenhart shared some of these with Olivia Cramond…

� Rick with his wife miriam and daughter Hannah.


eisenhart acknowledges that most people are on courses because of work requirements and if people are only there to tick a box it’s “a little like throwing something at a wall and seeing if it will stick. You need to engage them,” he says. He asks each person why they are at the course and where they work. He makes a note of this and throughout the course ensures the situations and stories are applicable to their jobs. He reminds them that though they may be there for work they are learning skills that are relevant 24/7. “I remind them their boss has given them a gift, a gift that they may need to help someone one day.” Furthermore, eisenhart’s passion for these courses stems from his belief that, “in the next six months it is likely that someone in these classes will be involved in a first aid incident. If they remember what they have learnt, they can make a difference”.

eisenhart is lucky to have much diversity in his role. Not long after beginning as a first aid trainer he was quick to take part in aid worker training. His last couple of years has been spent in the Pacific Islands under New Zealand Red Cross International operations Coordinator Peter Winthrop’s coordination, where it is obvious he really gets a buzz from teaching. “You can be in a room in 40 degree heat with no air conditioning wondering why you are doing this, then you look around and see their faces; so keen to engage and learn and you remember that’s why.” on these missions eisenhart is humbled by the locals’ ability to do so much good work with very little resources.

eisenhart works hard to ensure those attending learn basic first aid skills which they can then disseminate to their wider communities. He recalls watching a student he had just trained give a first aid demonstration to his community. at first, there were no more than 12 people at the demonstration. However, as he continued to speak the word spread and more and more people came. By the end over 50 people had gathered around the student turned teacher eager to learn about first aid. eisenhart states, “I will never forget his smile, it was priceless”.

“When you work for Red Cross you can’t help but let it get inside of you. It becomes you as a person,” eisenhart

says. He is the first to admit he is far from a saint but feels that having Red Cross principles in the back of his mind, enables him to continuously keep himself in check. each of the seven principles are incorporated into each of eisenhart’s classes as he feels it is important to touch on them throughout the day so his students see the value of them.

His passion is instilled in his family and is already being passed through the generations. at a Christmas party a few years back eisenhart heard the defibrillator going. Wondering what was going on he ran to see what had happened. He found his six year old daughter Hannah, giving her own first aid lesson, teaching other children how to use the defibrillator, demonstrating on her Bratz doll. His initial reaction

was to scold, but this anger quickly turned to pride as he realised that his “little Hannah at the age of six not only knew how to use the defibrillator, but was passing this knowledge on to other kids, she was disseminating priceless first aid knowledge, following in her dad’s footsteps and it was so great to watch”.

eisenhart loves all that Red Cross is about and has never looked back after taking his job with Red Cross. “Not long after 9/11 I was offered my old job back in New York, but I turned it down. I was on a new path and had to stick it out.” Not taking that job has given him the ability to help and teach many people, he knows it was the right decision. “It has put me in certain places, at certain times for certain reasons and I have loved every minute of it.”

� attending medical needs in New York.

� attending to the 54th street fire in New York.

alWaYs Red 23

dr Paul Gardner-stephen, in collaboration with New Zealand Red Cross has developed a working “small miracle”; a smartphone application that enables people to communicate in the absence of infrastructure.

and more amazingly, says New Zealand Red Cross emergency Telecommunications and International disaster Response Capability manager matthew lloyd the device is cheaper, lighter and smaller than a satellite phone, or VHF radio.

“The smartphone is a small miracle combining sensors in a package that fits in your pocket,” he says.

“This project combines the best features of alternatives, links their strengths and most importantly gives connectivity in the absence of infrastructure.”

A small

The application, known as the serval mesh, allows data to be recorded and transmitted or bounced along other smartphones, without using a network. This is done automatically over short distances as people travel, bouncing to new phones in range.

“In additional to increased functionality and lower costs, it also significantly reduces one of the major restrictions of international disaster response; importing transmitting equipment into an effected country or disaster zone,” says lloyd, who is considered to be the leading Red Cross expert in disaster communications for the south Pacific.

as part of its support to other countries, at times New Zealand Red Cross is asked, by Pacific Red Cross societies, to restore their communication access when it has been compromised following a disaster.

“land terrain is often unknown or difficult to work in, regulation hurdles are encountered when importing radio equipment, while the allocation of frequencies is often slim-to-none due to overcrowding – the serval Project’s technology removes these limitations.

“lastly, many people who respond to disasters are volunteers. Radio use is sometimes unfamiliar and with urgency to respond there is often no time to train new people, so a tool they are familiar with, like a cellphone, means they can hit the ground running.”

But imagine if this phone has the capability to offer more.

In the aftermath of a disaster, communications can be compromised, overloaded or crippled. For emergency teams responding to the unfolding crisis, being able to communicate is

paramount for management, safety and survival.

miracle


lloyd is part of an international team working to make three off-the-shelf systems compatible.

The other two are delorme’s inReach satellite communication device and Kestrel Group’s FIsT software.

The biggest hurdle immediately following a disaster is assessing its magnitude and who and what is affected. lloyd says we need to be prepared for all telecommunications and infrastructure to be down and disaster responders, like New Zealand Red Cross must maintain their own private alternative system.

“When combining these systems, it will equip field personnel with the tools to talk within a team, track individuals for their safety, collect field assessment data, transmit it anywhere in the world, send it to a database, display on a disaster assessment information map and make this information accessible from anywhere via the internet.”

united states company delorme’s satellite tracking device inReach is the second system. designed for trampers, it uses low earth orbiting satellites to transmit information to enable people to communicate from anywhere in the world, as long as it has a clear view to the sky.

inReach can be tracked on an internet map at regular intervals. It also has an sos button so if raised, and you remain stationary, inReach will transmit your location every half hour; if you’re moving, it will show your location every 100 meters.

lloyd says its ability to be paired, by Bluetooth to a smartphone raises it above its competitors.

“Now it can send and receive text messages to other inReach devices, cellphones or email with the location of sender, display on a map their location

and send any number of preformatted messages,” he says.

“It gets better. inReach is a fraction of the cost of a VHF radio while usage costs are also significantly cheaper than using a satellite phone. There is no comparison.”

add the third system, a smartphone application from Kestrel in the united states. The ‘Field Information support Tool’ application changes the way information is collected, processed, analysed, aggregated, displayed and disseminated for field-based collection.

Its creators say it enables data visualisation about a population’s composition, social structure and environment. data is collected in the field, sent to a remote server and then pushed to existing databases It has been used to collect data about earthquakes in Nepal to disease outbreaks in Vietnam.

like the other two systems it is also user-friendly and inexpensive.

lloyd says by persuading the three organisations to make their software compatible, New Zealand Red Cross

has created a system, dubbed ‘succinct data’ that can be carried in users pocket, alerts distress, increases the speed of search and rescue, is easy to use, significantly

cheaper, automates data collection, analysis and display, can send information across the globe and does not need local infrastructure to work.

This prototype was trialled in Wellington in march during the annual international field exercise, Kiwi ex.

“New Zealand Red Cross is right at the front of a new and better way of communicating,” says lloyd.

“There is already interest from the international disaster response community. This is the future of disaster response.”

a small miracle combining sensors in a package that

fits in your pocket.

alWaYs Red 25

ImpRovIng The LIves of vuLneRabLe peopLe

Always Red Spring 2012

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Transcript of Always Red Spring 2012