Portable sawmills designed and manufactured in Tauranga are helping Vanuatu re-build, making now a great time to visit as a 'voluntourist”, says SunMedia director Claire Rogers who recently returned from the island nation.

'The message from the islands is clear – 'Please don't stop coming to Vanuatu – we need your tourist dollars”.

The Auto Warrior portable mill in action in Vanuatu.

'Better still, become part of the 'voluntourism” trend. Have a holiday and get out there and make a difference by helping people re-build their lives,” says Claire.

And help they need. 'When flying in to Vanuatu the devastation is still obvious, months on from Cyclone Pam,” says Claire who was in the islands with Leah Rogers to help with the unloading of a container of donated goods, organised by Courtney Tilby and her mum Kerri Tilby-Price of Tauranga and supported by The Weekend Sun and SunLive.

'It is going to take a lot of time and effort to rebuild, but it should happen all the quicker with the addition of Turbo Sawmills from Tauranga.”

Turbo Sawmill's owner Jake Peterson demonstrated the operation of the 'Auto Warrior” the company donated to the islands, at Grace Baptist Church in Port Vila and on hand to watch were government officials, representatives of the Vanuatu Forestry Department and Claire and Leah.

'The ease of use and versatility of these mills mean trees brought down by the cyclone can be milled for timber to re-build homes, instead of being burnt to clear the land,” says Claire.

Leah Rogers with a huge tree brought down by Cyclone Pam, before it was milled by the portable mill from Turbo Sawmills of Tauranga.

Speaking from Australia, Jake told Sunlive that he adapted the mills specifically for use in the islands from a design created by his father Carl.

'Our company received funding to develop mills for the Pacific Islands and in 2013 sold 80 to the Solomon Islands.”

When he saw the destruction Cyclone Pam had caused, Jake knew the Turbo Sawmills had a role to play in the recovery in Vanuatu and so donated a mill.

A second smaller mill has been funded by Peter and Ali Moran from Towoomba and their church group.

The mills are operated by the humanitarian group Camp of Shining Light and CSL director Matt Meads told SunLive from Vanuatu on Thursday evening that the two mills were on their way by boat to Tanna Island where they will begin milling timber for homes.

'One of the mills is quite small and can be carried by two people, making it ideal to get into areas which can't be accessed by vehicles.”

The timber to be milled is both soft and hardwood, and can be used for homes immediately, he says.

Matt, originally from Palmerston North, encourages anyone with basic practical skills, especially builders, to consider holidaying in Vanuatu and spend some time helping villagers with the re-build.

'These people are wonderfully resilient and certainly not sitting around waiting for help but help is needed and they are very grateful for it.”

Claire says re-building in Vanuatu is taking shape slowly, thanks to the hard work of locals, a lot of help and 'some amazing people doing amazing things”.

'We wanted to see the container from Tauranga arrive and have a holiday where our tourist dollars would make a positive difference.

'The trip through the villages was very humbling. Through it all, I was struck by the people of Vanuatu. Everywhere I went I was captivated by the way they burst into song, and burst into laughter. We have so much to be thankful for in New Zealand a mere three hour flight away, and yet worlds apart in so many ways.”

Anyone interested in helping out – especially builders, should email CSL director Matt Meads at [email protected]

Checking out the Auto Warrior portable mill are from left Matt Meads of CSL, Peter Moran, Turbo Sawmill's owner Jake Peterson and Jeremy Pinero in Port Vila.