Whangārei's Citrus Fruit for the South drive on again

Lions Club member Denis Parkes with one of the banana boxes of fruit collected in Whangārei for as previous Citrus to the South campaign. Lions is collecting citrus to send south again next Sunday.

Northlanders enjoying that mid-winter citrus fruit overload - but wondering what to do with all their spare fruit - can help spread some citrus cheer to the South Island.

Whangārei's Lions Clubs have organised another Citrus for the South campaign to collect unwanted citrus fruit form the region to send to charities in Christchurch and Dunedin.

People with excess citrus fruit can take it to Forum North, Whangārei, on Sunday, July 8, between 8.30am and 2pm. It will be sent to help residents in the deep south enjoy some free mid-winter citrus.

This will be the fifth winter in a row citrus has been collected from Whangārei after the initiative was started in 2014 by Christine Stephenson, who moved to Whangārei in 2012 from Christchurch where she had lived for 25 years.

Lions spokesman Terry Ward asked residents to check their citrus trees, in particularly sweet oranges and lemons, for fruit to send to the people of Christchurch and Dunedin.

Ward said Mainfreight had agreed to pay for the shipment of banana boxes full of the fruit to the South Island and banana boxes will be collected from Pak'nSave and New World Regent ready to be packed.

''People may like to pick up their own banana boxes from their local store. If you do not have enough fruit to fill a box then please ask neighbours or friends to help support you and us.''

People can also deliver the fruit to Forum North, Whangārei, next Sunday in plastic bags, and Lions asked that if possible people separate the different kinds of fruit to make packing them together easier.

Last year the drive collected 190 boxes of fruit. This year's haul will be delivered to fruit and vege co-ops for distribution among 30 distribution sites in Christchurch and fruit will also go to Dunedin.

Food Together, a charity that distributes the fruit to those in need in Christchurch, said it was distributed to about 1500 families and thanked Northlanders for their generosity.