Covid 19 coronavirus: Kāpiti mayor praises medical heroes

Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan.

Kāpiti's medical services are doing extraordinary work, and acts of kindness are shining through in the community, writes Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan.

In the now temporarily abandoned mayoral office in Paraparumu sit a dozen wooden boxes made by the The Shed, a civic award winning community organisation that helps our differently-abled members.

The boxes contain a collection of quality made-in-Kāpiti products.

The whole gift package was put together by company owner Valerie of Kapiti Goodies.

These gifts were meant to be delivered by the mayor to staff at Kāpiti's 12 GP surgeries.

They are some of our outstanding heroes at the coalface of this devastating Covid 19 pandemic.

Putting their own health and lives at risk to protect others.

To frame an understanding of this sense of duty to our fellow humans I can only refer to that snippet of wisdom from that great rebel Jesus.

He said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

The staff need not only our appreciation and support but also access to the full range of protective gear available.

Even more, we need to understand that each of these medical staff have loved ones, families, friends and neighbours.

That our failure to strictly follow medical protocols on personal hygiene and physical isolation could expose us to Covid19 infection and we in turn expose these dedicated medical staff to potential infection.

International news on this epidemic shows evidence of hundreds of doctors and nurses dying.

Think about this before you pursue risky behaviour.

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For our medical staff its not only about the medical science around this virus and its transmission risk but, also, the psychological challenge of dealing with people under huge stress.

Frontline administrators and medics already bear the brunt of negative behaviour from some clients during normal times.

I can't imagine how much more they have to cope with under the current stress levels.

Our own Prime Minister has repeatedly used the word kindness to describe this fundamental value as we go through this together as a nation.

We have heard her promote this value much earlier as a mean to solve the world's problems.

I remember her amazing first United Nations speech before hardened politicians and career bureaucrats where, this leader of a far flung small nation called New Zealand, offered kindness as simple and elegant solution.

I don't think celebrated Chinese military strategist and philosopher, Sun Tze, ever mentioned this tool.

Because this undermines the very need for war.

The Prime Minister has not plucked this concept out of thin air.

It comes from a fundamental value that's embedded like a nugget in the nation's psyche, an intrinsic part of our culture.

What Jacinda Ardern has done, as Prime Minister, is to pull that nugget out and polish it so we can see ourselves in the shine.

I'm familiar with my own ethnic culture and having lived in multicultural societies and travelled I appreciate the fact that Kiwis are a very generous people.

That culture of giving comes from kindness.

I have written about this before.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

During the Christchurch earthquake I helped organise a Red Cross collection at the Paraparaumu Beach Saturday Market.

We collected around $4000 in just over four hours! Kiwi's respond handsomely when the chips are down.

As mayor I still set aside time to rattle the collection tin at public places for worthy causes.

The givers come from all walks of life and there is a joy in the giving that money can't buy.

The crisis we are going through is also an unfolding of our strength.

There are many stories on the kindness of people.

Let us each discover that nugget of kindness in us and polish it with our own acts of kindness so it shines.

Meanwhile, those 12 boxes still sit in my lonely office.

I could not deliver them as the lockdown was announced.

This particular act of kindness in appreciation of our medical heroes can wait.

I know the lockdown will be lifted and, hopefully, sooner because we have all been diligent in our duty to our fellows and the nation.

That and discipline together we have kept to our hygiene and isolation protocols.