Opinion: Peiffers deserving winners

Gina and Elmer Peiffer are deserving joint winners of the Rotorua Daily Post Person of the Year. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

There's no doubt, Rotorua is one of those cities that has community spirit.

That's not one of those lines we wheel out at this time of year just because we're feeling festive.

No. There are plenty of cities that lack all sense of community spirit, but I won't name them now because we're feeling festive.

When it came to choosing the Rotorua Daily Post Person of the Year, there was a whole bunch of good citizens to choose from.

All of them were genuine and worthy winners. And that's not another line I'm wheeling out.

Despite that, Gina and Elmer Peiffer stood out ahead of the rest.

This year alone they have housed more than 100 families.

Each night they feed the hungry, homeless and helpless at a Rotorua church through their voluntary organisation Love Soup.

Why? Just because they care.

It's hours of work. It's frustrating as well as rewarding but still, each night they do it.

As they said, Rotorua has always had a homeless problem. At the Rotorua Daily Post we have been writing about the battle to get a homeless shelter in the city for about a decade.

But things changed in about June this year.

They said they went from helping middle-aged to older men to helping families - women with children who had nowhere else to go.

While we stand and applaud the Peiffers and marvel at their selflessness, how sad is it that we need them? How sad is it they are a voluntary organisation?

I wonder if 2017 will be the year the Government finally acknowledges our homeless crisis and puts some real money and effort into doing something about it - now.

I'm not feeling so festive anymore.