One New Zealand has stepped up to support the Battle of the Bays 2023 match, committing to help the region raise much-needed funds to assist with Cyclone relief, act as Match Day sponsor of the event and bring the community together to boost morale following the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.
The widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year continues to take its toll on the local communities with many families still without homes, farmers’ livestock and crops destroyed, and infrastructure no closer to being repaired than it was three months ago. In short, the funds aren’t always reaching the impacted communities fast enough.
“Anyone who has been to the Hawkes Bay in the past few weeks will tell you that there is still a tonne of work to be done to get the community back on its feet, never mind back to pre-Gabrielle days. There is a generation’s worth of infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt just to get us fully functional again and for people affected to move forward with their lives,” says Dan Somerville, commercial manager, Hawkes Bay Rugby Union (HBRU).
“Our community needs more than financial support – it needs a morale boost and we are delighted to help provide this opportunity to bring our community together and celebrate how amazing Hawkes’ Bay people are.”
For these reasons, when One NZ received a call for help from the HBRU, the team replied with a resounding vote of support.
