Kiwis worry for loved ones in New Caledonia
As the Government makes plans to rescue New Zealanders from a stricken New Caledonia, whānau of Kiwis trapped there worry for their loved ones’ wellbeing.
Riots have taken over New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa, with at least six dead and hundreds injured in the violent civil unrest that has seen a state of emergency declared.
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the air force was prepared to evacuate New Zealanders living in New Caledonia, estimated to be about 200 people. However, no date was yet available for when evacuations would begin.
Peters said commercial services were not operating at the moment. Nouméa’s airport was closed, due to safety concerns.
“We are ready to fly, and await approval from French authorities as to when our flights are safe to proceed,” he said.
A Wellington man, who asked not to be named by The Post out of concerns for his partner’s safety, said his partner was trapped, unable to secure a flight out of New Caledonia.
The man said his partner was with a group of other New Zealanders. While he did not disclose their location due to safety fears, he said food had been dropped to them on Friday, and doctors and pharmacists were able to prescribe medication if needed.
The man said he had been unable to sleep for the past three days out of worry for his partner’s safety.
“They can’t get across from one part to the city centre, because the city centre was destroyed. They’re still shooting people and there are people walking around with machetes. It’s just crazy. It's pretty much civil war, I’d say.”
Air New Zealand has suspended travel to Nouméa as it was not safe for passengers to travel to the airport, or for flights to land there. On Saturday, the airline said commercial flights would not resume until tomorrow, at the earliest.
The Wellington man said Aircalin – New Caledonia’s flagship airline – was impossible to contact. He said no-one was answering the New Zealand phone number, and the voicemail mailbox was full. The Australian phone number said the office was closed over the weekend.
“There’s just no information coming out from the airlines. No-one’s getting told anything, so stress levels are just getting higher and higher.”
While he had managed to book a flight, they were continually cancelled. He was on his fourth booking change.
Another source of distress was the lack of coverage in New Zealand media, he said.
“I just thought well, maybe if the media could start reporting on this, then people here might get an understanding of how serious it is. There are over 200 Kiwis and we’re just hearing nothing. It’s just frustrating.”