Christchurch earthquake: Kiwis ready to dig, knit and shop to help

China USAR members. Photo / Dean Purcell

People from all over the country and around the world have offered to help the people of Christchurch struggling to cope in the earthquake aftermath.

Amid the devastation there have been big acts of kindness - from shops giving free bread, to people offering to pay for victims' groceries.

Others have organised groups on Facebook to help raise funds.

In Blenheim, Countdown store manager David Smale says customers have been offering to pay for groceries for Christchurch customers.

Others had simply come in to stock up on everything from bottles of water and juice to other essentials and delivering the goods themselves.

"A lot of customers just want to help, whether it be by donating their money or time to transport water down," Mr Smale said.

Staff at the Sudima Hotel in Christchurch are being praised for giving up to 600 people a place to stay, free of charge, right after the earthquake.

British man Peter Johnston and his son Darren were among them.

"They just took us all in, there must've been about 600 of us. They gave us a blanket and a meal and you slept where you could.

"The staff and management were absolutely brilliant - if that's hospitality, then that was a bloody good example."

DJ mates Kase and D-Rail - real names Casey Rarere and Kane Hawkins - flew down from Wellington and Auckland to do something useful, rather than "just talking about it on Facebook", Rarere said.

"Obviously we're DJs and all our music buddies were talking about setting up gigs [to help].

"There were just all these people posting messages like: 'Wish I could do something to help.' We just thought, 'why don't we just stop talking about it and do it'?"

The two friends packed various items such as spades, safety gear and water bottles to take down with them.

They have been shovelling silt off suburban roads and clearing people's driveways of mud since Wednesday.

"It's just helping out, isn't it? You follow it on TV but it's nothing like when you're actually clearing random roads that you get that this is real."

The pair have since organised a charity basketball game in Porirua on Thursday, in which All Black Ne'emia Tialata will be playing.

A group of about 20 women are putting their craft-making skills to use.

They have set up a group called Handmade for Christchurch, putting up gear - everything from baby booties to scarves and jewellery - for auction on Trade Me.

All the money raised will be given to the Salvation Army and Women's Refuge in Christchurch.

One of those involved, Demelza George-Franzmayr, said yesterday that they had received great support not only nationally but also from around the world, with donations coming in from Finland, India, Canada, the United States and Australia.

They had also received a number of people offering their hand-made crafts to be put up for auction.

By yesterday afternoon the largest donation received for an item was $2000.

"We thought we'd try and raise a couple of hundred dollars to send to Christchurch, but it's just skyrocketed," Ms George-Franzmayr said.

"The generosity of the country and the world is just mind-blowing."

Many companies have made large cash donations.

Fisher & Paykel has set up laundry facilities in various parts of Christchurch, including at their site on Shands Rd in Hornby.

Workers at Rinnai NZ - which manufactures gas and oil appliances - will today wear black and red to honour those whose lives were lost in the earthquake.

The company has donated $20,000 to the relief fund, sent 10 barbecues to shelters, and its employees have been given the chance to "work for Christchurch" today, with their wages being gifted to charity.

The company will match those wages dollar for dollar.