New Zealand firefighters are scheduled to train Cook Islands brigade volunteers early next year.

Manager for firefighter’s development for Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Mike Williams said his organisation had an agreement with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to support training in the Cook Islands and Niue.

“It's just about supporting the islands really and helping out where we can,” Williams said.

“As a result of Covid we have had no one going either way for the last three years.

“I think 2019 was the last bit of training that we had.”

Williams arrived in Rarotonga on Friday for the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade’s 20^th anniversary as a representative from Fire and Emergency New Zealand. He returned to New Zealand on Wednesday.

Williams said he met the local brigade chiefs to see what training his organisation could offer.

“We discussed the needs right across from basic firemanship for the newer people that are joining right up to what we would call a senior fire fighter level.”

The training will be on running hoses, wearing breathing apparatus and “hopefully” doing live fire drills, Williams said.

He said it would also be about vegetation fires which he thought was the highest cause of fire in the Cook Islands.

Williams said he wanted to see the training happen in February or March 2023.

“We definitely need to see it happen within the first half of next year anyway.”

In 2019 New Zealand trainers spent two weeks working with local brigades.

Williams said Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade’s 20^th anniversary was “fantastic”.

He said Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade members Jason and Tarina Moorfield convinced New Zealand’s United Fire Brigade Association to give recognition awards for its member’s service.

“They had to provide a huge amount of evidence and jump through a whole heap of hoops and I believe there was a JP whose pen ran out signing everything off.”