Helping Hands Across the Pacific - Australia Supports Tropic Twilight on Mauke

Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 1 October 2025

Australian Defence Force personnel joined their New Zealand counterparts and regional partners in Cook Islands for the New Zealand Defence Force-led Exercise Tropic Twilight.

Hosted by Cook Islands, the New Zealand-led exercise ran from 15 September to 16 October 2025, and saw two Australian Army engineers working alongside forces from Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu to assist local communities on the island of Mauke.

The two engineers helped to increase the communities’ resilience to natural disasters, while delivering construction tasks including solar farm and water system maintenance and upgrades to the island’s school, Apii Mauke.

Australian High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Her Excellency Ms Susannah Hodson, said Australia was pleased to support the Exercise: “I congratulate the Cook Islands and New Zealand for delivering Tropic Twilight, which will deliver a lasting impact for local communities. It’s been wonderful to travel to Mauke and hear directly from the community about how this work will improve their lives – supporting reliable access to drinking water and delivering sustainable energy.”

Highlighting the importance of joint exercises for Australia and the Australian Defence Force, Defence Adviser to the Cook Islands, Group Captain Andrew Hoffmann said: “We greatly appreciate the invitation from New Zealand and the Cook Islands to participate in this exercise. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with other nations in the Pacific, and to be able to do it in a way that provides meaningful and lasting outcomes for the Cook Islands’ communities is remarkable.”

Australian Army plumber, Private Subash Giri, who is from the Second Combat Engineering Regiment, and electrician Sapper Thomas Shephard, from the sixth Engineer Support Regiment deployed on the exercise. Both said they were pleased to use their trades to improve Mauke’s disaster resilience.

Sapper Shephard said: “I’ve repaired electrical faults in water pumps, serviced solar power systems, installed air conditioners, and inspected existing electrical work to ensure its safe. We’ve helped provide reliable access to drinking water, sustainable energy, and improved conditions for the community.”

Private Giri said it was especially rewarding to work on safe water projects. “I helped repair and replace two water bore pumps that provide drinking water to Mauke. I was also part of the maintenance team at Mauke’s school, assisting with upgrades to the gas installation to make it safe and compliant. It feels good knowing we’ve helped the community be better prepared for the next natural disaster.”

Australia’s participation in Tropic Twilight builds on its engagement with the Cook Islands in areas such as maritime security and climate resilience, and reaffirms Australia’s ongoing commitment under the ‘Oa Tumanava Partnership.