Ashburton Man to Command Kiwi Platoon in Solomons

Second Lieutenant Hamish Wright (up close) commands his platoon during crowd control training at Burnham Army Camp in October.

An Ashburton truck driver will become one of the first New Zealand territorial force officers to take control of a platoon next month when the next rotation of New Zealand Army personnel leave for the Solomon Islands.

Second Lieutenant Hamish Wright will assume tactical control of the 45-strong contingent on November 27 when they leave to assist the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the Solomons, helping people and providing a safer environment,” he said.

“I will miss the lie-in in the mornings and the comfort of home but I can’t wait to go overseas and make a difference.”

Second Lieutenant Wright will lead the contingent in it’s daily activities while Major Nigel Gattsche, from Christchurch, will maintain overall strategic command of the contingent.

He is an Ashburton resident and former Ashburton College student. He believes he is " very well prepared" for the deployment.

Many of his team are also territorial soldiers but the intensive pre-deployment training they have been undergoing in recent weeks had prepared them well, he said.

All those who had been selected to go had gone through a rigorous selection process and many had more than 10 years experience in the territorial force or had previous experience in the regular force.

New Zealand personnel have been supporting RAMSI since November 2004. They perform daily patrols, assist RAMSI police in downtown Honiara and help with external security at Rove Prison.