Heartwarming

ON THE GO: Sandra Faulkner’s office can be her deck, someone else’s deck or, most often, her truck. Picture by Liam Clayton

Sandra Faulkner has clocked up a lot of hours — and kilometres — in the past few weeks. Her truck is her office, initially driving on roads that weren’t exactly fit for purpose as she headed out into the rural community to help, chat, and support a sector that has been hit so hard.

While she has seen plenty of devastation and heard stories of heartbreak, she continues to be in awe of the place she now calls home.

“Every day I see acts of kindness that just blow me away,” says the chair of the Rural Coordination Group Tairāwhiti (RCG).

“This region and New Zealand just rock when it comes to goodwill in so many ways.”

Sandra has created the Rural Hub which has been set up at Showgrounds Park. “We set it up on the back of Gabrielle. It is a community place for rural folk to meet and talk with a variety of people — not only other farmers and growers but also the organisations and government agencies who will support our recovery.”

The RCG includes representatives from Beef+Lamb NZ, Federated Farmers, Rural Support Trust, Rural Women NZ, Te Puni Kokiri, Gisborne District Council, Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry of Social Development.

“The impact of these weather events will last five-plus years,” says Sandra. “It is overwhelming. As farmers we can manage many things, but we remain at the mercy of the weather. We run a complex set of biological systems which don’t just stop. While the cyclone put a stop to things we all usually enjoy, like access and communication, our farming families also had the responsibility of caring for large numbers of livestock without the services and supplies they would ordinarily have available.”

She has heard the exhaustion and struggle in the voices of those she talks to, but encourages everyone to keep talking, and to keep reaching out to those around them.

“When we are faced, every day, with the physical and financial impacts of these events it is so important to take very good care of our emotional wellbeing. It’s OK to cry — there is a grieving process to go through. Family, friends, older farmers, the Rural Support team are all able to help us process what has happened. Then celebrate the small wins each day — each task completed, each beautiful sunrise, the dogs being delighted to see you, planning some time off-farm. Let yourself heal,” Sandra says.

“Given time, our natural landscapes will regenerate but to recover economically our land-based businesses will need to be supported with a suite of recovery tools, and central government absolutely has a part to play in that.

“The country can’t afford to financially pay for a natural disaster of this magnitude, hence the need for a well-considered, region-specific recovery package.”

She’s thankful to have the support of husband Rob.

“None of us can do what we do without the support we get from all sorts of people. Much of the work is done by volunteers. So many of our regions get through because of the efforts of those volunteers. It warms my heart every day.”