04 ARMYPEOPLE
EMPATHY AND ORDER THE ROLE WE PLAY By Judith Martin
With pillows jammed under their arms, hair dishevelled and their faces lined with fatigue, a couple and their two young daughters wearily climb the stairs at the RNZAF’s Air Movements Terminal in Rongotai, Wellington. Major Nigel Elder is on the landing and greets them. “Welcome home – come on in,” he says. He’s wearing a mask, but his voice exudes warmth and confidence. The people he is speaking to as they and 17 others pour off the Air New Zealand ATR charter flight are returning to New Zealand after a long flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, and then on to Wellington where they will spend the next two weeks in managed isolation in a Wellington hotel. While tired, they too are calm and obviously appreciate the atmosphere they have encountered and the approach taken by Major Elder, the officer in charge of the Regional Isolation Quarantine Coordination Centre. He and his team of Captain Grant Daniels and Lance Corporal Joe Sunckell are joined by two police officers, an aviation security representative, and a public health nurse as the 21 returnees gather in the terminal lounge. The team works well together, having processed many such flights over recent weeks as Kiwis return home to comparative safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. The system is slick.
First up, a health brief. The returnees are given information on how to use the personal protection equipment they are issued with, and what they can expect when they reach their isolation facility. They are handed forms to fill out and told a bus would soon take them to their hotel about 10km away. Every detail appears to be covered: the bus will travel via the Wellington bays rather than through Mt Victoria tunnel to avoid the problems a potential breakdown or holdup in the tunnel could cause. There are many head-counts, and there appears to be virtually no opportunities for returnees to abscond before they reach their hotel. MAJ Elder says the key to making sure things run smoothly is using the “soft skills” Army personnel have. “Empathy in particular,” he says. “These people might be in a situation they don’t want to be in, they’re tired and possibly feeling vulnerable. It’s up to us to reassure them they’re going into a safe environment, and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure their stay is as pleasant as possible. After all in the main they’re Kiwis coming home.”
There have been few hiccups. “There was one person who was quite claustrophobic and anxious. We did what we could to make him feel better. This situation (managing returnees) is continually evolving. We want the process to be well-managed and do everything we can to ensure its integrity. We give them firm directions so we can take care of them, and they generally respond well.” LCPL Sunckell did a stint at a managed isolation facility (MIF) in Christchurch earlier in the year, and sees his role at the coordination centre as a continuation of that work. “At the MIF we tried to ensure the nursing, hotel and security staff were all working together properly. We’d address any issues that arose, and try and help wherever we could. It’s interesting work, and while it’s not something I ever thought I’d be doing, it feels worthwhile to be helping people. Ultimately that’s why you join the Army.”
CAPT Grant Daniels (left) and MAJ Nigel Elder wait for returnees to arrive.
Soldiers ready for work in Rotorua. Photo: Andrew Warner
