Free firewood for Hawke's Bay families in need

Henry Heke from Tihei Mauri Ora and Shaun Andrews from Rayonier Matariki Forests, with firewood that is being delivered.

Tihei Mauri Ora is the iwi/Pasifika arm of the Civil Defence welfare safety network that includes a range of mainstream services to support the most vulnerable whānau pounamu and connect them with support rapidly.

Up to 180 homes will be warmer this winter thanks to a new initiative to provide firewood to Hawke's Bay families in need.

Tihei Mauri Ora emergency response group was established through Ngāti Kahungunu's partnership with Hawke's Bay District Health Board to support whānau pounamu in Napier, Hastings and Central Hawke's Bay during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Henry Heke, co-ordinator of Tihei Mauri Ora said the group's work had continued past the initial Covid-19 response to help families in the region through the tougher winter time.

"Many families struggle to stay warm over winter and we have been delighted with the support of local forestry companies to get firewood to families most in need. We have prioritised deliveries to kaumātua, the elderly, solo parents and families with high needs (whānau pounamu). It will warm hearts and warm homes," said Henry.

Tihei Mauri Ora reached out to Rayonier Matariki Forests initially during lockdown and a plan was developed to donate a load of logs from its Rukumoana Forest.

The strong demand for firewood has continued and the forestry company provided another truck-load of logs last week to the Hawke's Bay AMP Showgrounds, where they will be ringed and split by wood merchant Dan Shoas and other volunteer sawmen, ready for delivery.

Rayonier Matariki Forests harvest operations co-ordinator, Shaun Andrews, said they were delighted to be able to help.

"Winter is a difficult time for many families and keeping warm goes a long way to staying healthy. We hope the 65 tonnes of wood that we have brought out of our forest goes some way to helping our community members in need," said Shaun.

Henry said the project had required the collaboration of many people and organisations to make it happen.

"We have had support of post-Treaty settlement groups, the Hawke's Bay A&P Society who allowed us to use the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds for deliveries and a huge number of volunteers who have spent days chopping up the logs into useable pieces.

"Te Aute Māori boys' boarding school and St Joseph's Māori Girls' College have assisted with deliveries, as have some of the Regional Seasonal Employees who have been stuck here, unable to get home due to our closed borders," said Henry.

Tihei Mauri Ora's wider support programme which has included the provision of food and blankets has assisted nearly 7000 Māori, 3400 Pasifika and over 1000 multicultural ethnicities including Asian, Indian and other nationalities, across the Hawke's Bay region.