Timber for Tonga: Hawke's Bay businesses bundle supplies to Atatā island

Left Brendan O'Sullivan, Francie O'Sullivan and Pastor Unaloto Lolohea with RSE workers making shelter packs for their families in Tonga after the volcanic eruption and tsunami. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hastings RSE workers joined local businesses to create bundles of shelter supplies for their Tongan families who lost homes in January's volcanic eruption.

After weeks of waiting for supplies to arrive at the BBI wood products' yard the group gathered at the Hastings depot to split supplies into individual temporary shelter packs on Sunday.

Pastor Unaloto Lolohea brought the RSE workers' situation to his boss, identifying that they would require special help.

All 11 of the RSE workers came from Atatā, where homes were wiped out by the eruption's ensuing tsunami.

Although BBI and Ecko Fastening Systems director Brendan O'Sullivan managed to pull all the supplies together, he said it wouldn't have happened without Lolohea.

"We wanted to do something to help the RSE workers specifically as they have strong links to Hawke's Bay horticulture from working in our region," O'Sullivan said.

Each shelter pack contains framing timber, nails, plywood, fasteners and tin for the roofing.

O'Sullivan said without help from business such as Tumu, Kiwi Lumber, Pan Pac, Red stag, WPI, CHH Plywood, Nelson Pine, Ecko Fastening systems, Bremic, Roofing industries, Metalcraft Hastings and RLB packaging, the initiative would not have been possible.

The Hastings companies also donated t-shirts, beanies and caps.

Men's Shed members also dropped some older tools to be added to the parcels.

Lolohea said: "For the RSE workers, it would take three years to save enough for this type of shelter.

"This showed that dreams come true because in what would have been three years the families will now have shelter in a matter of months.

"They do appreciate what BBI has done for them and it is going to help the whole island."

The last step left is getting a shipping container and getting it to the Tongan Islands of Atatā.

O'Sullivan has been trying to work around the challenging logistics by arranging a container and then getting it to Tonga and the families.

Since the beginning, Una and O'Sullivan have been trying to reduce the shipping cost.

Hawke's Bay orchardist Mark Vesty, who employs the 11 RSE workers, said he would help pay for some of the cost.

It's likely the containers won't leave for Tonga until late this month or early April.