Group forming directory to connect rural Hawke’s Bay residents during emergencies

RD9 Connected organiser Kylie Morrison (left) with Karenina, 11, and Mary Tukiwaho at Matapiro Hall. Photo / Warren Buckland

A rural Hawke’s Bay community group is creating a comprehensive directory “like a phonebook” to help residents find services and connect during emergencies.

RD9 is a geographic area between the Ngaruroro and Tūtaekurī rivers starting from west of Omāhu and including Pukehāmoamoa, Sherenden, Crownthorpe, Ōtamauri, Whanawhana, Waiwhare, Kurīpāponga, and Kaweka Forest Park.

RD9 Connected was created by a group of residents involved with Hastings District Council’s community resilience-building initiative after Cyclone Gabrielle.

RD9 Connected organiser Kylie Morrison said the group successfully applied for funding through the Ministry of Social Development Wellbeing and Hauora grant to help the community and will use some of it to create the directory.

The group collaborated with the Between the Two Rivers (B2R) community group, co-governed with the Piringa hapū of Omāhu, to find opportunities to use the funding.

“Our whole reason for working together is to create community events, make connections for people and support our local community hubs,” Morrison said.

The idea for a directory came from the need to identify who was in the RD9 community and where people were located, even if they weren’t connected through social media.

“We hear about people, but we often don’t necessarily know who is out there and who needs support,” she said.

“As a group we have done a mail drop to every mailbox we can find and we are also making connections through our community days.”

There will also be a “talent register” for people to list their skills and a “business register” for businesses within the RD9 area to list services.

For example, a nurse or doctor could list themselves so someone in need could locate them during an emergency.

“People who have chainsaws, fencing skills, diggers [during an emergency], it is all of that sort of stuff but not only that. We want a strong community [which] is supporting businesses out there too.”

Residents can get involved in the directory either online through the ‘RD9 Connected’ tab on the B2R website or in person at local schools or community events.

Community members and businesses interested in participating can volunteer as much or as little information as they wish, such as addresses or phone numbers.

The directory would be a physical booklet “like a phonebook” issued to households or accessible through community hubs and schools.

“We had talked about making it available online, but that opens the door for people outside the community who might not use it for the right reasons.”

She hopes the directory will be ready to print by the middle of August.

She said the members had dedicated themselves to producing the directory annually to keep it up to date as needed, depending on how big it becomes.

Andrew Russell, co-chairman of B2R, said he believed Cyclone Gabrielle was the catalyst for the directory.

“When you are suddenly cut off you need to know who can do what in your community and if you have got a directory you can just look up if you need a plumber, an electrician, a builder, a mechanic, a nurse or a doctor,” Russell said.

He said it was about connecting the community and uncovering talents and services people might not be aware of.

“I hope the community will begin to realise what resources are within the community and start making use of them.”

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz