Born and bred in Gisborne, Jacky Scanlan-Dyas watched in horror from her home in Tokyo, Japan, as the news played footage of February’s Cyclone Gabrielle and the devastation it was causing to her childhood home.
With all communications cut from Tairāwhiti, Mrs Scanlan-Dyas reached out to long-time childhood friend Gregg Pardoe, who now lives in the Waikato region, for updates on family and friends.
Mrs Scanlan-Dyas expressed her desire to help in some way, so “the people of Gisborne and the surrounding areas know that they are not forgotten, and we are with them”.
Mr Pardoe mentioned SuperGrans Tairāwhiti (SGT), where his mother, Molly Pardoe, is involved as a volunteer and chairs the organisation’s Board of Trustees.
Once communications were back up and running, Mrs Scanlan-Dyas initiated contact with SGT via email and kick-started the
process of what was to become one of many emails, the sharing of information, media articles and ideas.
Supergrans, a non-profit, charitable organisation and registered food bank, with the purpose and kaupapa to support whānau of Tairāwhiti out of hardship, were at grass roots level and instrumental as first responders to ensure food and household items were supplied to the emergency shelters set up by Civil Defence for whānau who had to evacuate during the cyclone. Supergrans still continue to support those whānau who are affected by the after-effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Mrs Scanlan-Dyas, who is a partner in Hogan Lovells’ Tokyo office (a top 10 global law firm), utilised her contacts with professional New Zealanders living and working in Japan, and the Japan Friends of NZ Flooding Fundraiser Committee was formed.
The prestigious fundraising auction event took place on April 27 and was held in the New York Ballroom of the Tokyo American Club — the club generously donated the use of the ballroom for the evening.
The event attracted major sponsors including the Japan New Zealand Business Council (JNZBC) and the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ANZCCJ), who hosted the event.
The fundraiser was well publicised and attracted a great deal of attention in Japan with a high calibre of donated items, services and opportunities for attendees to bid for.
The sold-out event attracted 200 ticket holders and Mrs Scanlan-Dyas said it was a fantastic evening of coming together to support New Zealand family and friends by fundraising for the flood relief in her home-town of Gisborne.
“In Japan, the mandatory wearing of face masks had ceased just a few weeks prior to the event, so for the people of Tokyo it was an opportunity to socialise in a more normal setting, while supporting a worthwhile cause.”
The New Zealand Ambassador to Japan, Hamish Cooper, attended the evening and was a guest speaker.
Fast forward to last Friday when the team at Supergrans welcomed the guests from Japan — Mrs Scanlan-Dyas, her husband Nicholas Scanlan-Dyas, their daughter Dani, and Ryo Hayakawa, (one of the committee members for the fundraiser).
They were joined by Ian Kennedy, past New Zealand Ambassador to Japan, who now resides in Wellington, and is the current Chair of the JNZBC.
Supergrans organised a pōwhiri to welcome the guests, and Heron Tangohau, community connector at Supergrans, called the karanga. After blessings, waiata and morning tea, the contingent set off for a tour of two adversely affected areas of Gisborne.
First stop was Fergusson Drive, where resident Lizzy Burns gave an account of what her family went through during Cyclone Gabrielle — the evacuation and ongoing experience of what a yellow-stickered house means for them as insurance work begins.
Next stop was the red-stickered property of Clint and Rachael Daly in Grant Road (friends of Mrs Scanlan-Dyas and whose horrific story she watched unfold on a Facebook video). With permission from the owners to enter the property, three months post-Cyclone Gabrielle, the tour group were instructed to wear face masks for their safety due to the toxic silt, with the stench still evident.
The tour party returned to Supergrans where they were joined by board members and invited guests for speeches and the presentation of the $67,700 cheque from the fundraiser auction evening. During the presentation of the cheque, heartfelt speeches were made by guests and members of Supergrans.
Mrs Scanlan-Dyas said: “This was my first time of putting together a fundraiser. The huge amount of support from the Japanese community and from local donations towards this was just amazing.”
Linda Coulston, general manager, said: “We are hugely appreciative and so grateful for the generosity shown by our friends in Japan and what this donation means for the Tairāwhiti community.”
Deputy Mayor, Josh Wharehinga, delivered his pepeha (introduction) in Japanese and acknowledged not only the strong economic ties with Japan, but also one of friendship.
In a similar vein, Ian Kennedy, former NZ ambassador to Japan and chair of JNZBC spoke of “continuing to build relationships between New Zealand and Japan to strengthen business, trade and economic relations”.
Stories, tears and waiata were shared and in keeping with true Tairāwhiti kaupapa, the group were treated to a hangi lunch prepared by Supergrans’ committed and tireless staff and volunteers.
After the shared lunch, the guests resumed their tour with Dana Kirkpatrick from Rural Support Trust Tairāwhiti to take in some of the damage to outlying areas.
A visit to a kiwifruit orchard in Manutuke illustrated the after-effects of the Te Arai river flooding during the cyclone.
Orchardist Johnny Williams said: “We have suffered two-thirds of loss in crops and this has put us at least three years behind.”
A trip through Lavenham Road illustrated the largely unseen devastation Cyclone Gabrielle had on the district’s outlying rural areas.
Ms Kirkpatrick said: “Flood protection is a very big and contentious issue. Cyclone Bola set the bar and Gabrielle came with another level above that.”
The sobering reality of the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle left the guests from Japan with a lasting impression and they promised to continue discussions of how to best support the region and the grass roots community organisations.
Mrs Scanlan-Dyas said: “It’s hard to put into words everything we have seen, but one of the main takeaways is the sheer resilience of the region.”
Before she flew back to Tokyo on Monday, she said she had many memories and she was taking back the message that “Tairāwhiti is open for business”.
