NZ Army engineer honoured for lifesaving work in Vanuatu

A New Zealand Army warrant officer who led emergency engineering responses to both a light aircraft crash and a deadly earthquake in Vanuatu has been awarded the New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD).

 Warrant Officer Class 2 Rob Allen’s DSD, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force, was announced in the King’s Birthday Honours List, where his leadership during both incidents helped save lives and reinforced the New Zealand Defence Force’s reputation in the Pacific nation.

An emergency responder with the Royal New Zealand Engineers, he has been seconded to the Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF) Engineer Squadron since 2023.

In July 2024, a light plane crashed into a plantation near Port Vila Airport with five passengers aboard.

WO2 Allen assembled a team of VMF engineers to extend an access road for ambulances and rescue services to reach the scene, enabling the evacuation of the five injured occupants. One passenger died later in hospital.

Five months later, on 17 December, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Port Vila, killing 14 people.

WO2 Allen’s team carried out a search and rescue mission in the collapsed three-storey Billabong building while he coordinated with Vanuatu’s first responders.

Over three days he coordinated recovery efforts, provided technical guidance and organised logistical support.

His leadership was critical in immediately rescuing two trapped victims, another four survivors subsequently, and the recovery of four deceased victims.

WO2 Allen said he was humbled by his decoration and paid tribute to his VMF team and the Vanuatu locals.

“Like most soldiers I am not great at receiving awards. I feel grateful to be nominated, that someone took the time to do that.

“The crash and the earthquake highlighted the ability of people from all walks of life and professions to work together to help people in their time of need.

“The people working on the Billabong building site had all experienced the earthquake and had damaged houses and frightened families. They stayed and worked through the days and nights to extricate fellow people from the rubble.”

WO2 Allen was born and raised in Nelson. He enlisted in 1993 and has served in Timor-Leste and Iraq.

His posting to Vanuatu involves improving the capacity of the VMF Engineers and Engineering Squadron.

There was also rewarding work in community projects where they are rebuilding a school classroom, a childcare classroom and a boys’ dormitory, he said.

“The childcare classroom and dormitory were severely damaged in a cyclone, and the school classroom was three-quarters completed and ran out of funding,” WO2 Allen said.

All three were due to be completed last week.