Tenby Powell has recently returned to New Zealand after six months in Ukraine providing support to locals near the front line of the war with Russia.
This was his fourth visit to Ukraine as part of the Kiwi K.A.R.E charity he founded in May 2022, after seeing Ukrainians escaping when Russia invaded in February that year.
"There were a number of scenes which really affected me and I was sitting around growling at the television, saying 'this can't possibly be happening in our lifetime,' which is to say a conflict of this nature on the European continent and felt I had to take action," he told 1News.
Since then, donations have allowed the charity's volunteers to distribute 7000 stoves and water boilers, evacuate 6000 people or transport them to medical care and deliver humanitarian and medical aid.
Around $7 million has been raised and the charity’s conducted research showing the humanitarian impact has been $60.1 million.
Such is the demand for the stoves and boilers, which are repurposed from electric water cylinders, that a second workshop has opened in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
"They have been regarded as lifesaving by many of the families who have received them in the very harsh Ukrainian winter.
"This is borne out of the fact that there is a continual attack on water and power infrastructure by Russia, so often they just don't have any way of heating or cooking or getting access to boiling water,” Powell said.
Tenby Powell has recently returned to New Zealand after six months in Ukraine providing support to locals near the front line of the war with Russia. (Source: 1News)
Powell has visited Ukraine four times previously, and when he’s not there he was fundraising for Kiwi K.A.R.E.
"I just want to say a huge thank you to New Zealanders and our international partners, which have given us the most incredible support and enabled us to do what we've been able to do," he said.
The charity involves operations directors from Poland, Romania and Australia and works in partnership with Day by Day charity and three other Ukrainian non-governmental organisations.
A change in warfare tech
A big difference in the seven months between Powell's last two visits was the significant increase in the use of drones in the war.
"The proliferation has been so vast that there is really nowhere to hide from it.
"It's changed warfare forever."
He describes the “claustrophobic” but "a little bit protected" feeling of driving under nets installed over roads as a last line of defence against incoming Russian drones.
"Until you pop out at some stage at the other end where you're completely exposed in places like, I'm thinking now Kramatorsk or Kherson, in that southern area where we operate in Kherson is very, very flat."
Powell had to rethink operations in this rapidly changing environment, he said, and that included putting money into technology which can track the aerial view of drones in the area so aid workers can get an indication of where they are.
“This comes at a huge cost and where we want to put the money directly into aid or evacuations or the transportation of ambulances and the fabrication of stoves and water boilers, now we're also having to spend money on self-protection, which is a critical part of being a humanitarian aid worker today.”
"I mean if anybody says they haven't had a fright, I would be very surprised if that's true," he said.
Two ambulances were struck by drones, with the damaged 'Aroha' (love in Te Reo Māori) parked up in Mykhailivska Square in the capital Kyiv, alongside destroyed Russian military vehicles and a Shahed drone.
"It stands as a reminder of the cost of rescue missions and the courage of volunteers who risk their lives in the service of Ukraine," a panel on the front of the ambulance reads.
'Kaha' (meaning strength in Te Reo Māori) was back up and running.
Powell said he focused on the job at hand, but said he thought in the future that aid workers will have to be able to defend themselves from drones.
"We are moving into an area of operations where humanitarians need to be able to at least shoot down drones that are attacking them.
"Now that changes all the rules, and of course many will say, 'well we can't possibly have humanitarian organisations with that level of defensive capability'."
"The argument that I've got is that if we don't have it, many humanitarian aid workers will die. A red cross or in our case a yellow cross on the side of an ambulance is just a target to aim at. The rules have gone completely."
Powell's efforts recognised by Zelensky
Powell's efforts and bravery were recognised by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in January, when he was announced as an Order of Merit recipient. This comes after he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours for services to business, governance and humanitarian work.
"My heart is always back there with the team and with the people of Ukraine knowing exactly what they experience when the ballistic missiles come in, when the shahed drones arrive at two in the morning into somebody's apartment building."
Powell said he hopes a "just peace for Ukraine" can be negotiated as talks continue between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States acting as an intermediary.
"The Ukrainians are willing Europe to take decisive action to give them the weapon systems they need to fight because it's very clear that Russia doesn't want a peace plan of any note.”
He said Ukraine being asked to cede territory in the Donbas region is "inconceivable".
"If a just peace isn't negotiated for Ukraine, which involves the territory, territories which have been taken, being given back to Ukraine, it will happen again and that area will become a staging post for continued Russian activity.
"Everybody that I talk to knows this. All the European leaders would know this, as would the Americans and the Canadians and anyone else."
Powell said his experience has left him with a perspective that the world is "in a very tricky position right now".
"We will see more of these wars, sadly, I believe."
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