Conor English: Community spirit shines in crisis

Students on mass help in cleaning up Rydall Street, Hoon Hay, Christchurch. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

A week is not just a long time in politics. Last Friday I stood outside the 137-year-old Grouse Lincoln Hotel and watched it being demolished by a large digger. It felt like Ground Zero. A week before this pub had been serving beers and Coke Zero.

The week before the quake, I also stood in Lincoln, at the university just down the road giving a speech on what the future for dairying might be in 20 years time. I said a key influence would be the things that we don't predict.

In my speech I said: "I will simply predict there will be plenty of unpredictable things happen that we can't predict now. If we look back over the last half century no one predicted the discovery of penicillin. This has had a dramatic, positive impact on our population growth and longevity.

"No one predicted the huge inflation of the 1970s after the Vietnam War or the fall of communism in the 1980s. September 11, was another unpredicted event which has changed the course of history. The global financial crisis wasn't predicted, just as the receivership of Canterbury Finance wasn't predicted 20 years ago.

"So I predict that there will be an unpredicted war. There will be a significant disease, either human or animal - just as we have had Aids and bird flu. There will be some very significant weather/natural events - just because there have been for a few million years now."

And I said there would be an invention, or a discovery that will have a profound impact on how we live, work and play, just as the internet has turned the consumer from a reader to a writer.

What we do know is that we don't know and that's why the English language invented the word "hindsight".

So now hindsight tells us that the Canterbury earthquake has brought us closer together - the stories of people mucking in and helping out have been extraordinary.

In the rural community on Saturday morning, Federated Farmers swung into action, focusing on the response to power, water, cowshed and building damage. Our communication staff, the 0800 FARMING team, field officers, elected representatives and volunteers all worked on providing practical solutions.

We helped ensure all herds had been milked at least once by Sunday. This was a testament to rural collaboration and frankly something I am proud of.

On Saturday afternoon I think we surprised our city cousins when I rang Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker and asked him if there was anything that the rural community could do to help those affected badly in the city area. We offered tractors, labour and tankers for water.

After the discussion with Mr Parker, I contacted Fonterra and in 20 minutes there were four milk tankers converted to cart fresh water into the welfare centres in Christchurch. This operation started on Saturday evening.

Urban and rural New Zealand have far more in common than there are differences. In my view, New Zealand's identity is founded on at least two key things - our Maori culture and secondly our rugged authentic "ruralness".

The advertising world uses rural imaging and characters when they want to convey true "kiwi-ness". We live in different places and are more removed from each other's day-to-day realities.

But when our places get threatened, of course we all put our shoulder to the wheel.

Federated Farmers held a meeting in Darfield on the Thursday following the quake which was a classic example of the community pulling together. We had more than 500 adults attend and about 100 children.

The meeting featured several speakers, including Government Ministers, Bill English, Gerry Brownlee and David Carter.

The night was rounded off by broadcasters, Jamie MacKay, Richard Loe and Dick Taylor to provide some light entertainment, followed by a free barbecue and beer donated by sponsors.

What didn't surprise me, on a chilly evening, was how long people hung around for. You see, if humans were trees they would want to be part of a forest.

Solitary confinement is used as a punishment. It is heartening therefore, with events such as the earthquake, that we don't expect people to stand alone, but we rush to support them.

We are all part of the good old resilient Kiwi forest. Long may this continue. For the rest of New Zealand, Christchurch is an example of the unexpected actually happening and people responding perhaps not unexpectedly.

The question we need to ask is, are we ready for the day when perhaps Wellington turns from Coke Zero to Ground Zero?

- Conor English is chief executive of Federated Farmers.