“Since the events of February, many of our people have been going through immensely difficult and uncertain times,” she said. “This funding has helped provide tangible support to those most affected – and assisted with the hard mahi done by many individuals and groups to help with their recovery.”
Whanganui district councillor Rob Vinsen has been working closely with the mayor to support the fundraising initiative. He said the goal had been to provide targeted support to those most in need, either directly or by assisting those carrying out important work in relief efforts.
“One hundred per cent of the funds we’ve raised are going directly to the relief efforts. So far, we’ve seen $50,000 of our funding distributed across nine worthy recipients across the Hastings District – with the remaining balance to be transferred for further distribution at the end of the month,” he said.
One such recipient is Meal Drive Hawke’s Bay, which received $5000 from the fund. Jarnah Snee, who volunteers in the group, says the funding has helped them with their work distributing ready-to-heat frozen meals to flood-stricken rural communities.
“People dealing with stress and fatigue often don’t have the energy to prepare a meal from scratch – and in some cases, people lacked kitchen equipment following the floods. So our goal has been to help relieve a bit of that stress by providing people with nice home-cooked meals – often prepared by volunteers in other parts of the country,” she said.
Another recipient of funding was a family in the Dartmoor community, who were allocated $5000 to assist with the purchase of a new raft. The family’s previous raft had been used extensively in the initial emergency response – ferrying fuel, food, and people across the river following the collapse of the local bridge.
But eventually, the build-up of silt and reduced water levels in the river meant the raft was damaged beyond repair.
Silt clearing has been one of the biggest, ongoing challenges in the region, so funding has also been allocated to support those efforts.
Ian Merson, from Puketapu-based Merson Contractors ‚ which received $4000 in funding, says much of his company’s equipment was washed away in the floods or buried deep in silt.
“This funding is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for us,” he said. “It’s helping cover some of the costs of purchasing new tools and digging machinery out of silt. Every little bit helps.”
Mayor Andrew says Whanganui should be very proud of the support it’s given. He intends on personally writing to those who have made donations (and left contact details) to thank them for their generosity.
“The spirit of koha is very strong in our community and it’s been amazing to see that in action following Cyclone Gabrielle,” he said. “We’ve had our share of floods in the past here in Whanganui, so we know all too well how important it is to support communities in their time of need.”
■ The Whanganui Mayoral Relief Fund for Cyclone Gabrielle will officially close at midnight on Friday, June 30. Donations will be still accepted up until that time. To make a donation today, visit CG23.whanganui.govt.nz
