Tūtūkākā couple Shaun and Tia Lord on a mission for their community

First responder Shaun Lord and volunteer firefighter Tia Lord are on a mission for their community. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A Northland husband and wife duo are hoping to bring the Tūtūkākā coast’s emergency services together.

Shaun Lord recently qualified as a first responder for Hato Hone St John after nearly a year of training for the role.

It was a “slow process”, he said, but one that he was inspired to go through after watching his wife, Tia, “doing her stuff”.

Tia has been in the fire service for nearly four years and served as a source of inspiration for him.

“They’re some good skills to learn, and [it’s good] to be able to give something back and be useful, and not just do my own thing and be so selfish, I guess,” Shaun said.

“It just feels really cool doing it.”

Tūtūkākā is known for its idyllic stretch of coastline. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Tia explained the Tūtūkākā first response unit is currently being re-established after struggling due to volunteers progressing into fulltime roles and moving on to other things.

“They’re going to start doing a big push to try to get that back up again,” Shaun explained.

The aim is to have six volunteers on board who can answer the call of the community where needed.

Even to just “be there” while help comes makes a difference, Shaun said.

According to Statistics New Zealand, the 2018 Census found the Matapouri-Tūtūkākā population was sitting around 1692, with a median age of 49.1 years.

In 2018, Ngunguru was found to have a population of 1164.

The pair are also hoping to organise joint training sessions for the local fire brigade and St John.

“Every response they get, we go to, and vice versa. So it’s quite good to get that community built up,” he said.

“We can be the glue,” Tia said.

Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.