New Zealand Firies Perform The Haka After Assisting With The Bushfire Crisis

Firefighters from New Zealand have performed a powerful haka in the New South Wales town of Ballina.

After assisting Aussie firies with the ongoing battle against bushfires and protecting homes and wildlife over the last three weeks, the group performed a traditional haka for the mayor of Richmond and others at their motel before returning home.

“This morning the New Zealand firies invited me to attend a Thank You Farewell at their motel in Ballina before they left for home today,” mayor Robert Mustow posted on Facebook.

“They have been here for a couple of weeks fighting fires & using the Broadwater Hall as their shift change over & dining venue, see previous posts.

“We were honoured to be presented with a Haka.

“It was wonderful to meet them during their visit & I sincerely thank them for the effort & contribution to keeping our community safe in our time of need.

“Safe trip home to you all & hopefully we will catch up again under more happier circumstances."

Last month, 26 kiwi firefighters were flown to Australia to assist with the crisis in NSW and Queensland.

Yesterday, 21 fire management personnel from Canada landed in Sydney to support the firefighting effort as conditions worsen.

Currently, 128 fires are burning, with eight Emergency Warnings issued across the state.

Stay up to date at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.