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Seven ambulances sourced in New Zealand by charity Kiwi K.A.R.E. have arrived in Europe and are now on the way to Ukraine.
Tenby Powell, the former mayor of Tauranga and founder of Kiwi K.A.R.E., told First Up it had been a long road for the ambulances, having departed New Zealand on 4 May and arriving at the port of Antwerp in Belgium last week.
"We went from Antwerp up to Hamburg which is a bit of a [dog-leg] but absolutely worth it, so we've got seven ambulances now filled with medical aid."
From there, the ambulances went on to Poland with the help of Ukrainian drivers, American volunteers and Powell's wife, Sharon, who drove most of the way in that phase.
"We've had pretty much a multi-national team but the vast majority have been Ukrainian," Powell said.
Once the ambulances arrive at Kyiv, they would be serviced before being handed over to medical units and "red zone" hospitals in early September, he said.
"We just want to make sure they go to the right hospitals and the right medical units where they're going to get well looked after on the one hand but really well used, we want them to be busy.
"The people of New Zealand have funded these ambulances in many respects and we want them to be used by people who are going to get them cracking."
Powell said there was a great sense of accomplishment given the various teams involved in getting the ambulances across.
"St Johns, as I've said many times, have been a dream to deal with, as have shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, who have brought these things all the way from New Zealand, off-loaded them in Korea and put them on another one of their ships between Korea and Belgium in Europe all for free, and that's been a huge part of it.
"Without those two entities and many others that have helped us with logistics and medical aid, we would not be here. And then of course, the combined Ukrainian international team that has taken them forward and will end up in Kyiv tomorrow."
Next on Powell's list is heading to Zurich to give a speech as part of fund-raising efforts, organised a Ukrainian organisation.
"We have quite a big entity to run now. The intention was always to keep two vehicles for Kiwi K.A.R.E. as mobile health clinics, we have doctors and nurses that will accompany us. I just don't know if we can afford to keep two, I definitely want to keep one.
"So we've got a 12-tonne truck, we've got our vans, and we have an ambulance, we're a hungry beast to feed, and funds are everything at this stage.
"We spent a lot of time in Kherson, delivering medical and humanitarian aid, but it's long distances and the truck and as I've discovered the ambulances are very hungry, or I should say very thirsty, animals and it just takes a lot of funds to run an organisation the size that Kiwi K.A.R.E. is."
