Senior medic recognised for rescuing more than 70 people from Hawke’s Bay flood waters

A senior medic from the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been recognised for her rescue efforts winching people by helicopter to safety during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Corporal Tessa Black, was awarded a Defence Meritorious Service Medals (DMSM) for her work on board the first NH90 helicopter sent to survey the cyclone’s impact on her home province of Hawke’s Bay.

This quickly became a rescue mission for stranded members of the public who were threatened by rapidly rising flood waters.

On the first day, Black winched eight people and their dogs to safety and over the following days was involved in the rescues of a further 70 victims caught in the flood waters, silt and slash.

“I think we were so busy trying to rescue everybody I didn’t think about being scared,” Black said.

Tessa Black helped to rescue more than 70 people and dogs during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We train quite a lot with winching and moving around the aircraft and that training is so valuable - when something happens it’s just second nature.”

The rest of 2023 had Black on call for 138 days, where she participated in 80% of NZDF responses to emergency requests for assistance.

These included rescuing a hunter with a broken femur, a tramper with a dislocated shoulder and a medical evacuation from Antarctica.

Black enlisted in the RNZAF straight from high school in 2014. She was named RNZAF medic of the year in 2021 and was part of the team that helped evacuate people from Kabul before the Taliban’s takeover.

“I’m very lucky that I’ve been in the right place at the right time and been able to go on those trips.”

A total of two Defence Meritorious Service Medals (DMSMs) and four Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Commendations were awarded this month, spread across Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and civilian personnel.

Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies said the awards “recognise people who had gone above and beyond what is normally asked of them”.

“They provide exceptional service in the areas of operations, strategic relationships, safety in training, scientific leadership, and search and rescue operations.”

The four CDF Commendations covered personnel working internationally and on safety and weapons systems.

RNZN Commander Sarah Bamfield was awarded a CDF Commendation for her work as the Defence Adviser to Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu over a three-year period.

Captain Joshua Rohorua from the NZ Army earned a CDF Commendation after he was deployed at short notice to Europe in 2023 to help with the coordination of military resources to Ukraine.

Captain Isaac Stuckey was awarded a CDF Commendation for developing the new way the New Zealand Army conducts live firing by night.

Defence Science and Technology’s Timothy Raybould was awarded a CDF Commendation for his work with the successful introduction of new defensive capabilities to the Royal New Zealand Navy frigates.