One year after the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle, St Vincent de Paul continues its recovery support in Wairoa. A pivotal visit by St Vincent de Paul Napier council member Dan Sussmilch helped the organisation develop a multifaceted strategy to offer immediate relief and assist in facilitating the community’s long-term rehabilitation. As part of its community involvement Read more
Amid Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastating impact, a group of young volunteers emerged as unsung heroes. Without the help of young people, St Vincent de Paul Napier would not have been able to respond so positively, reports the Catholic charity in its most recent national newsletter. While the media focus has moved on, Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastation continues Read more
Hastings charity Thermals for Children surprised a group of young Cyclone Gabrielle survivors with a swag of unexpected gifts last week. With the Hastings Catholic Parish support, the charity fundraises and supplies local schools with hundreds of bundles of thermals and track pants each winter. This year the parish have raised more than $26,000 for Read more
Charities in Hawke’s Bay have reported a big surge in demand since Cyclone Gabrielle struck in February including community services for food donations, family support, and even family violence services. One charity says staff and volunteer wellbeing is extremely important as those on the frontline are often dealing with “people’s trauma, anxiety and grief”. Nourished Read more
Most of the donations raised to help Cyclone Gabrielle North Island flood victims remain unspent. That’s about $30m. The Red Cross has spent only $5m of its $24m Disaster Fund donations. The March Lotto fundraiser draw is sitting unused. That’s another $11.77m. People in disaster zones – the supposed beneficiaries – want to know what’s Read more
Auckland Bishop, Steve Lowe, has thanked everyone for donating to his Catholic Caring Foundation’s flood and cyclone appeals. Lowe reports that 69 grants have been given to charities and agencies throughout greater Auckland to help families, people and communities in need. “The outpouring of generosity throughout the country and overseas has been humbling,” he says. Read more
After Cyclone Gabrielle, endless work continues to repair communities overwhelmed by rising waters and clean-up efforts are ongoing across damaged farms and businesses. Meanwhile homeowners hold their breath for insurers to deliver relief. But as individuals face varying degrees of disruption, a collective sense of frustration has built among those in dire need of financial Read more
Over a month after the floods that demolished swathes of the North Island, Wairoa’s Catholic school is home to 80 extra pupils from nearby Nuhaka. In a state common to many small settlements after Cyclone Gabrielle, the small Nuhaka settlement 30 kilometres north of Wairoa lost essential services and its wastewater and sewage systems were Read more
One of Cyclone Gabrielle’s many casualties was a beautiful little Catholic chapel on the north side of Wairoa’s town bridge. Like many places in Wairoa’s North Clyde area, St Therese’s was swamped. Silt got into everything and did its worst. The same happened at the marae next door – and to numerous homes and properties. Read more
It has become somewhat of a cliche for media reports and climate scientists to actively link modern extreme weather events in New Zealand with climate change, but an accurate answer requires more or less complete knowledge of our past recorded climate. A new study by journalist and author Ian Wishart into historic extreme weather events Read more