A police officer who was part of a team that helped identify victims of the MH17 air crash says his experiences during the Canterbury quakes resonated with him as he worked on the latest diaster.
Six New Zealand police officers have spent the past two months in the Netherlands, on rotation, as part of a joint team with Australian officers, identifying bodies from the Malaysia Airlines plane which was shot down over Ukraine in July.
The team has helped identify 183 of the 298 who were aboard.
The first three officers – Inspector Mike Wright of police national headquarters, Constable Barry Shepherd from Taupo and Senior Constable Al Hendrickson from Blenheim – flew to the Netherlands soon after the crash.
They were replaced three weeks later by Inspector Geoff Logan from PNHQ, Senior Sergeant Steve Harwood from Hutt Valley and Sergeant Karl Wilson from Auckland.
At Hilversum, where they were based, Mr Wright came across a familiar face - Dutch DVI commander Arie de Bruijn, with whom they worked in Thailand after the 2004 tsunami.
He said the relationship benefited both parties.
"Every day something resonated from Christchurch," he said.
"I was able to identify issues that Arie was confronted with. I was able to say to him on a couple of occasions 'I've experienced this'."
This illustrated the teamwork which underpinned DVI. "Nothing is achieved without teamwork. It starts before you get where you're going," Mr Wright said.
He particularly acknowledged the work of Detective Constable Geoff McGhie, who interviewed the family of Kiwi victim Rob Ayley to gather identifying material, supported by family liaison officer Detective Niall Deehan.
"Geoff was meticulous, which gave us a real sense of confidence that things were as they should be," Mr Wright said.
Now home, the DVI teams would receive support from police.
"Over time we've learnt from the experience of past events which has helped to really tailor the support staff now receive," Mr Wright said.
Officers working to identify bodies in often gruesome environments were motivated by a desire to help grieving families, he said.
"Like all those I've worked with, I get a real sense of satisfaction from knowing I've been able to bring closure to families in particularly trying circumstances."
Mr Wright said New Zealand's expertise in disaster victim identification (DVI) was internationally acknowledged.
Work on the the 1979 Mt Erebus plane crash set a benchmark and since then work on the 2002 Bali bombings, 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and the Canterbury quakes and Carterton balloon crash had increased the Kiwis' reputation.
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