Napier Port fundraises nearly $17,000 for Fiji Covid-19 fundraising appeal

Napier Port staff (L-R) Kieran Young, Ian Raku Raku, Chris Lonergan and Stacy Bower will help co-ordinate the help package for Fiji. Photo / Warren Buckland

Napier Port in partnership with Save the Children has run a campaign to fundraise for the Fiji Covid-19 appeal, and have managed to raise nearly $6000 more than the intended target.

The target was for $10,500 and as of Friday the Givealittle page had raised $16,545.

All of the funds raised will go towards buying and distributing two-week's worth of food and sanitation packages for 150 families in Fiji.

A spokesman for the port said over the past few weeks, a number of port employees had been in touch with Fiji Ports to see how they were coping with the Covid-19 outbreak and to see how Napier Port could offer some kind of support.

"Fiji's Covid-19 outbreak is now worsening by the day and the country's medical facilities are struggling to cope with an escalation in infections," he said.

"The situation is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis.

"The Port have explored a number of ways to help and support the people of Fiji."

He said growing restrictions around movement and logistics meant that direct financial support was the quickest and easiest way to provide assistance to Fiji.

"Our discussions with Fiji Ports have led us to partner with the international charity – Save the Children, to help fund emergency food and supplies for the struggling families and communities."

Save the Children New Zealand Chief Executive Heidi Coetzee said they were "extremely grateful" to the immense generosity shown by Napier Port's staff, management and supporters in helping to feed Fijian children and their families.

"The situation in Fiji isn't getting any better for so many desperate families in need," Coetzee said.

"Every day we're receiving countless requests for help, and now many families are requesting a second grocery pack as they still have no means of earning income with the devastating impact of Covid-19.

"Many parents are going to bed hungry so that they can feed their children, desperate mothers feeding their babies water and sugar because their own milk supply has run out because they are so hungry."

She said the money raised by the "incredible team" at Napier Port would help provide essential grocery items, including food, sanitisation products, formula and other baby essentials to many families in Fiji.

"We are so grateful and can't thank the team enough."

Napier Port's relationship with Fiji goes back to 2018 when a Napier Port commercial training scheme drew praise from the Government for the way it was improving safety levels across New Zealand - and boosting the Fijian economy.

About two years after Napier Port bought a $750,000-crane simulator, the company was realising more of the international applications - a scheme that led to a mutually beneficial relationship with Fiji Ports.