3 Jul 2012

Mangaia in Cooks sets up emergency taskforce

6:28 pm on 3 July 2012

Residents of the southernmost island of the Cook Islands, Mangaia, have launched an official emergency taskforce to help deal with emergencies.

The taskforce has been named Te Puna Kira Kira by Mangaian historian, Inangaro Papatua, as in times gone by there were always selected members of the community whose role was to monitor events to protect the island.

Mangaia experienced several forest and bushfires in 2009 and 2010 but had few resources to deal with the emergencies.

They led to efforts to set up an official team to deal with future emergencies, with the intention to build capacity through skills training and provide equipment.