Tongan workers at Silver Fern Farms' Dargaville plant are able to send much-needed supplies home to family in the new container. Photo / Supplied
Tongan workers at Silver Fern Farms' Dargaville plant are able to send much-needed supplies home to family in the new container. Photo / Supplied
The Dargaville Tongan community are calling on the public to help fill a 20-foot shipping container to aid their families who "lost everything" in last month's devastating eruption and tsunami.
Clothing, blankets, water, tinned and dried food, building materials and tools are been sought to fill the container ahead of its voyage scheduled for no later than February 14.
Silver Fern Farms Dargaville provided the container to support 23 of their workers whose families remain in Tonga.
This 20-foot container outside Silver Fern Farms Dargaville will soon be sailing supplies to Tonga. Photo / Supplied
Before they stepped in donations from Northlanders had to be transported to containers in Auckland.
The plant's people and capability manager Maree Walters said Silver Fern Farms often employed workers from Tonga who would stay in New Zealand for a year before venturing home again.
Some workers had been unable to return home since the pandemic began two years ago.
"It's a pretty difficult time for them to be away from their families knowing that they are struggling back home," Walters said.
"It's our chance to actually help those that have lost everything."
Wesley Methodist Church minister Reverend Kuli Fisi'iahi of Dargaville said Tonga faced a long road to recovery.
Reverend Kuli Fisi' iahi had been organising donations from Dargaville to Auckland before a local shipping container was provided. Photo / John Stone
He calls Niutoua home - a village 20 miles east of Nuku'alofa - and has four siblings living in different areas of the main island Tongatapu.
"We are all working together, and it's the same with other Tongan families. We are going to share what we have here every day, with our family back home."
This photo provided by Broadcom Broadcasting shows a damaged area in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, January 20, 2022, following a volcanic eruption near the Pacific archipelago. Photo / Supplied
Fisi'iahi said the Tongan community had received an outpouring of kindness from Kiwis after the disaster.
"The kind words and messages we received shows that New Zealanders are very good at caring for one another, sharing aroha and mana, in times of adversity.
"Our heart and soul and life remain in Tonga forever, but this is our second country and the love they share with us is marvellous, there's no words to explain it," he said.
"The Northland community, we thank you from the bottom of our heart."
Donations for the container can be dropped off between 9am and 6pm daily at Lavender Farms, 93 Beach Rd, Dargaville. Those wishing to donate money can do so on donateresponsibly.org.
