In brief: New Zealand volunteer Tenby Powell has helped secure nearly 100 ambulances for Ukraine’s frontline regions. The process has been far from straightforward, with many vehicles requiring modifications before they can be put into service. But that has not deterred him. Powell runs his own charitable foundation, which raises donations to fund the delivery of ambulances, including from other continents.
Six more ambulances head to the east of Ukraine from central Kyiv. They are being delivered by New Zealand volunteer Tenby Powell, who has been bringing ambulances to Ukraine from around the world for four years.
Tenby founded New Zealand humanitarian organization Kiwi Aid & Refugee Evacuation (Kiwi K.A.R.E), which reported in 2025 that it had achieved a humanitarian impact valued at $60 million since launching operations in Ukraine in May 2022. The organization has carried out hundreds of humanitarian missions, evacuated thousands of civilians, and delivered dozens of ambulances and support vehicles to medical units in high-risk regions, including Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson.
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Earlier this year, Powell was awarded Ukraine’s Order of Merit for the work of his charitable foundation Kiwi K.A.R.E., which raises funds on the other side of the world, but also involves numerous partners across Europe, to help sustain Ukraine’s front line.
Ambulances moving to Ukraine through Europe (Photo by Tenby Powell for Kyiv Post)
The latest fleet of six ambulances were all shipped in containers, together with additional medical aid donated by New Zealand. These six vehicles are part of 81 ambulances Kiwi K.A.R.E has now delivered for service in support of Ukraine, meaning its logistics team is well-versed in international freight.
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“Our Logistics Director is a New Zealander called Paulette Cox and she has a wealth of experience in international logistics. She is supported by our Polish Country Directors, David Meister and Alexander Lubański, who take over once the ambulances arrive in Europe,” Powell says, describing his team.
Powell and his colleagues (Photo by Tenby Powell for Kyiv Post)
The vehicles will be sent to communities that need them most, and the ambulances are equipped with a full range of essential medical equipment.
“The ambulances will go to frontline medical units in Kharkiv and Donetsk. We will retain one to add to our Road-of-Life program. To date Kiwi K.A.R.E and our Ukrainian partners have conducted some 21,000 evacuations and patient transfers since May 2022,” Powell says.
The ambulance vehicle inside (Photo by Tenby Powell for Kyiv Post)
The process is relatively straightforward: used vehicles are sourced, repaired and transported to Ukraine. This time, the ambulances traveled nearly 20,000 kilometers from their point of departure to their final destination.
“The six newest ambulances, donated by New Zealand’s St John ambulance service, have traveled 17,000 km by ship to Europe, and a further 2,200 km from Ostend, Belgium, to Kyiv without incident – driven by a dedicated Polish team,” the volunteer explains.
Powell’s drivers (Photo by Tenby Powell for Kyiv Post)
Powell says he experienced the realities of the war firsthand in Kharkiv in 2022. Since then, he has made it his mission to help Ukraine whenever he can – even though the country is tens of thousands of kilometers away from his homeland.
“In 2022, I was living in Kharkiv and one very bleak, cold night, I was awoken by a big attack on the city. I made coffee around 3 a.m., and was looking out my window into the darkness and saw a faint blue flashing light making its way to help those injured. It struck me that our used ambulances in New Zealand have been exceptionally well maintained throughout their economic life and they would be highly valued here in Ukraine,” Powell recalls.
The first vehicles arrived in Ukraine just a year later. Today, the total number has exceeded 80.
“I immediately emailed a director of our St. John ambulance service who I used to work for in the army. He’s a great man who replied to my email almost immediately (it was 1 p.m. in the afternoon in New Zealand). He started the process internally and, after St John NZ seeking, and being granted, permission from St John UK, our first eight vehicles arrived in June 2023,” Powell says.
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