TV stars caught up in earthquake drama

An army of volunteers and soldiers have been cleaning up sections and streets in Kaiapoi. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Everyone in Canterbury has been touched by the earthquake devastation - and TV personalities and sports stars are no exception.

A week on from the massive 7.1 quake that hit in the early hours of last Saturday, we asked well-known Cantabrians how they thought the region had been coping as large aftershocks kept everyone on edge and the extent of the damage sunk in.

TV personality Jason Gunn says the quake has brought people together. "It seems so clichéd, but you're getting to know people. We're getting through this together and we've all come out stronger. We're all victims - everyone's either been hit or knows someone who has."

Mr Gunn hosts the Classic Hits radio breakfast show which has remained on air all week. "You feel hopeless but people want an element of normality and a bit of lightness. By Wednesday or Thursday we brought a bit of humour back into it, it seemed appropriate."

Mr Gunn, who, with his wife Janice Morrell-Gunn, owns television production company Whitebait TV which produces What Now and The Erin Simpson Show, thinks the quake and its aftermath have been hardest on children.

"As a parent, you feel completely useless," says the father of four, whose youngest is seven years old. "You have none of the answers."

Simon Barnett, who hosts the More FM morning show, has also been struck by the generosity and compassion of the Canterbury people in the wake of the quake.

He says even the people who are demolishing buildings are doing it with sensitivity - "that's such a juxtaposition, and it's quite moving".

Mr Barnett also believes children, as well as the elderly, will continue to struggle the most as Canterbury attempts to return to some sort of normal routine.

"But people are champing at the bit to get back to normality. I think it will take months and months to restore the city and the biggest challenge will be to retain a level of calm and patience."

He says local businesses will feel it the most and it will be a "long, slow and painful recovery" for them.

"The people of Canterbury do feel for those businesses and what we as a community have to do is go back and support them."

Crusaders coach and former All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder has this week, along with other Crusaders staff and players, been helping Kaiapoi locals with the big clean-up.

"You think 'what can you do?' and believe me, there's a lot to do," he says. "Everyone's suffering, but there's always someone a little bit worse off."

Mr Blackadder says although the continuing aftershocks have been "unnerving", Cantabrians have been coping remarkably well.

"People have had to uplift their lives but from what I can see, the Canterbury spirit is really coming through.

"In Kaiapoi we saw students out there with shovels - people are getting out there and helping each other out. That's the Canterbury spirit."