Tasty messages of goodwill ready
Flood-affected West Coasters are about to benefit from the goodwill of a huge South Canterbury community cake bake..
Fiona Elworthy and friends have been overwhelmed with donations in response to their calls for delivery of goodwill from one side of the Southern Alps to the other.
And it will be delivered to struggling West Coasters on Friday when 65 fruitcakes and $300 in cash donations from the South Canterbury community will be dropped off to the Red Cross in Westport for distribution to those affected by recent weather events.
Elworthy was inspired to share the love with struggling Coasters after reading about the devastating destruction ex-tropical cyclone Fehi caused to their homes in February.
King tides lashed the region, bringing slips onto roads and causing sea surges, high winds, flash flooding, power outages and evacuations.
If the people of South Canterbury were prepared to bake fruitcakes and write cards of support, then Elworthy said she was prepared to deliver them.
Elworthy said she was delighted with the response after putting a call out to the community.
Friends Sonia Henare, and Warwick and Jenny Smith, and St Mary’s Church parish secretary Val White helped co-ordinate the effort.
The Smiths would be delivering the cakes, all with messages of goodwill, on Friday.
White said the response had been fabulous.
‘‘Everybody has been so considerate.’’
Warwick Smith said a Cave business had donated a tank of fuel for the long journey.
Elworthy said a big thanks to everyone in the South Canterbury community who had donated their time and energy.
‘‘The West Coast has had more than its fair share of tragedies.’’
The Smiths, now residents of Cave, lived on the Coast for 30 years.
Warwick said he had spoken with Red Cross staff on the West Coast and understood it was an extremely stressful time.
‘‘We lived on the West Coast long enough to learn that the people there are resilient,’’ he said.
Waimate damage estimate
Waimate District Mayor Craig Rowley has estimated it will cost $30,000 to repair the roading network following damage caused by the aftermath of ex-Cyclone Gita. Rowley said there was widespread scouring over the network and the repair work would be incorporated into the maintenance programme over the next few weeks. ‘‘Fortunately our district came off with less damage than many other districts from flooding caused by ex Cyclone Gita.’’
Focus on mental well-being
Mental Health Commissioner Kevin Allan says New Zealand needs to broaden its focus from mental illness and addiction to mental well-being and recovery. Last week it emerged that the impact of lost income, culled stock and uncertainty over the future were some of the huge consequences of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak affecting the mental health of South Canterbury farmers. On Wednesday, Allan released an independent assessment of the state of mental health and addiction services in NZ. The report makes a number of recommendations to the Minister of Health, and calls for a clear action plan to respond to Kiwis’ mental health and addiction needs. A new user friendly and stigma free way of reaching out to someone to talk became available in South Canterbury last week as a part of a NZ-wide telehealth service. Allan said while growing numbers of Kiwis are accessing health services for mental health and addiction issues, these services are under pressure and many needs are left unmet. ‘‘Often services are available to people only once their condition deteriroates, and the most common treatment options of medication and therapy don’t address the borader social factors that help people be well and support their recovery,’’ he said.
Record hotel occupancy
NZ hotels are the busiest they have ever been, with a record high occupancy rate of almost 70 per cent in the year ended 2017, Stats NZ said on Wednesday. The Timaru district’s accommodation sector saw growth in the past year, with a broadening of the types of rooms being sought by travellers. The bumper summer put pressure on some traditional providers, who reported being stretched to breaking point. Overall, the occupancy rate of NZ’s short-term commercial accommodation rose to a record 44.9 per cent in the year ended December 2017, an increase of 1.3 percentage points from 2016.