A Northland musician has been at the heart of relief efforts for victims of London's Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, dropping his studio work to help those left homeless by the disaster.
Warner Newman, 30, who grew up in the Far North, has lived in London for the past 10 years and last week he stopped his important recording session to help those who lost everything in the fire.
The fire killed at least 58 people, police said yesterday evening (NZ time), as Prime Minister Theresa May admitted the response from the authorities had not been good enough.
Newman said he was in the studio in Brixton, on the other side of London from the Kensington fire, when he heard news breaking of the tragic fire.
He had been recording tracks for his next album The Death of Warner Cornish with Grammy wining producer Brian Paturalski (Outkast, Aerosmith, Britney Spears), but that paled into insignificance when he saw the tragedy unfolding.
He went to help out at St Clement Church near to the burning tower block after his "humanity" kicked in.
"We're all humans and I just had to go and help out however I could. I've seen death before many times in my life, but nothing like this. I just felt I had to give back to the country that's given me so much and helped me on my career so much," Newman said.
"The second I saw on the news what was happening, the pain, the suffering and the despair I had to help. The sheer loss people were experiencing, losing loved ones and everything they owned - it was heartbreaking. But I've also seen the other side - London coming together, regardless of the colour of your skin, your religion, where you are from, it's standing together as one. It's one of the many things I love about London."
When Newman wasn't helping box food and clothing at St Clements he was out passing water around to police, firefighters and ambulance crew and also helping people stay strong while he helped looked for those displaced by the fire places to live. He also helped put up posters of those missing from the tower block.
He saw upset people in little more than rags or their nightclothes after they fled the fire in the middle of the night with nothing, others were covered in smoke and soot and some had lost their loved ones in the blaze. It was humbling but also scary to think that so many people had been killed at one time.
Northlander Warner Newman has been helping those who lost everything in the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in London last week.PHOTO/AP
He has also witnessed the anger of the displaced at Prime Minister Theresa May and compared her visit to the scene to that of Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn.
"May was useless when she came. She just went to see the firefighters - who all did a fantastic job by the way under very difficult and sad circumstances - and didn't come to see the victims, those who had been left homeless and those helping them," Newman said.
"Corbyn though was amazing. He came into the church, hugged people and was genuinely involved in caring about their situation. He was interacting with survivors, finding out their stories and listening. And it wasn't just for the cameras as when the cameras went he was still there helping, he was brilliant."
Newman's efforts didn't go unnoticed though as many of the survivors said they were shocked, but delighted, that a Kiwi was there helping out.
Newman's last single Runaway was a UK, NZ and Spotify top 40 hit, going gold, and bringing him a legion of fans. Some of them even saw him helping out at the church and came to thank him for his efforts.
"Music is definitely my life, but if I can offer something to the world in the form of love and support why not?"
