On March 25th, New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers Winston Peters and Judith Collins released a statement saying the country will provide logistical support for the Solomon Islands election.
The statement said that the country will send a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide support for the April 17th elections in the Solomons. They said that the deployment of the personnel and two helicopters is part of a request made by the Solomon Islands’ Electoral Commission.
The ministers said the team and helicopters will assist in transporting “election officers and materials around the Solomon Islands in what is an excellent opportunity for our personnel to work again with the Solomon Islands’ Government and alongside Australian counterparts in support of regional peace and security.”
The detachment will be transported to the Solomons by HMNZS Canterbury, which departed on March 26th. The deployment is also part of a larger $6.5 USD million ($10.8 million NZD) election support program New Zealand announced in January.
