Kaikoura woman Rebecca Keats begs Ellen DeGeneres for one thing post-quake

Could Ellen DeGeneres save a Kaikoura bakery struggling after the quake?

A Kaikoura woman has made a last-ditch effort to help a struggling bakery post-quake, reaching out to Ellen DeGeneres for help.

Rebecca Keats told the Woman's Weekly she used to work at the Kaikoura Bakery but she and her family had to be helicoptered out after the quake.

The bakery, run by Sophia Smedley, is one of a few local businesses that have reopened, but because road access is still restricted their flour stocks are running low. That's where DeGeneres comes in.

Keats posted a message to Ellen on Facebook, explaining her plight:

"I come from Kaikoura New Zealand and as you may or not know it was savagely hit by a 7.8 earthquake...my work place is a small on site bakery and the team managed to clean up within three days and started producing fresh bread for our wonderful community," she wrote.

She explained the road access issue and asked: "if by any chance you could use your magic to get some flour to Kaikoura Bakery it would be appreciated [by] many locals and support crew. Love what you do. Cheers."

There's been no public response from DeGeneres as yet, but Keats isn't losing hope.

"I was born and bred in Kaikoura. My heart's still there, it's an amazing little town and [the bakery owners] are such amazing bosses. They've put the community before everything," she told Woman's Weekly.

"I guess a lot of people would be willing to donate flour but the issue is getting it in. It would be amazing if Ellen did see my message."