It always amazes me how generous New Zealanders are.
If there is a person in need, more often than not there will be someone willing to help him or her. It is always in the same low-key way with no need for any reward or recognition - just the chance to do a good deed.
In the 10 years I worked at the New Zealand Herald in Auckland, I lost count of the number of times there were offers to help people who had appeared in the paper with a sad tale. Many of these stories involved tourists who had their campervans either stolen or broken into. All kinds of offers used to pour in to help these people regardless of whether it was ignorance or stupidity on the tourists' part.
We once had an elderly woman in a retirement complex phone to say two French tourists, who had been robbed, could stay with her in her little unit. Other offers included cash, use of baches and even cars to use for the duration of the tourists' stay.
Another example of New Zealanders' generosity was when a 5-year-old tourist from Europe was raped by a 16-year-old boy in a Turangi campground in December. The country, and the Turangi community in particular, reacted with shock and rallied around the family. The family was given gifts, offers of support and more than $62,000 in donations. In turn, the family donated $20,000 for the purchase of equipment for a new children's playground in Turangi, as well as for other worthy causes.
Now it may be that in the above cases New Zealanders simply felt such shame that our country's good name had been tarnished that they wanted to do anything to make up for it.
That may be so, but readers of newspapers across the country also respond well to stories of children in need. A case in point is the story of terminally ill 4-year-old Hastings boy Lincoln Roberts, which has featured in Hawke's Bay Today this week. Lincoln's plight has certainly tugged at the community's heart strings.
Lincoln's mother Nancy Himiona has received several offers, while this paper has also been contacted by people wanting to help. An anonymous donor dropped off $500, which was given to the family. Other gifts included a weekend away for the family at a local hotel, food, toys, a family pass to tonight's Hawks basketball game, charity waka rides and a pass to Rainbow's End in Auckland. Lincoln was also given a ride in a fire engine by the Havelock North Volunteer Fire Brigade on Tuesday.
All these things add up to show what a kind and generous community we live in. I am sure Lincoln's family appreciates it during this tough time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Lincoln and his family.