Thursday August 18, 2005
Defence destroy explosives in tokelau islands
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team return home today after two weeks spent
destroying deteriorating explosives in the Tokelau Islands.
The Tokelau Administration requested assistance from New Zealand for the disposal of the explosives located on Nukunonu,
a small island in the Tokelau Group. The items had been left on the island since the early 1990's and due to their
condition, the explosives required disposal by EOD specialists.
Team Leader, Staff Sergeant Matt Dyson said 'We were able to remove the explosives and transfer them to a remote
location for disposal. We could then destroy the explosives in an environment where we could guarantee the safety of the
local people and their infrastructure'.
The Defence team consisted of two EOD specialists and a medic, with significant logistic assistance provided by the
people of Nukunono.
ENDS