NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Cyclone Gabrielle: Rotorua Whakaora recruits Spiderman for flood relief donation drive

Maryana Garcia
By Maryana Garcia
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
3 Mar, 2023 01:02 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Spiderman is helping Rotorua Whakaora collect cyclone relief supplies. Photo / Supplied

Spiderman is helping Rotorua Whakaora collect cyclone relief supplies. Photo / Supplied

Local charity Rotorua Whakaora has recruited a world-famous wallcrawler to collect donations for cyclone relief efforts.

Tomorrow two super Spiderpeople will drive courier vans around town collecting food, batteries, tools and other donations needed by families affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Rotorua Whakaora co-founder Elmer Peiffer said the community’s generosity inspired the weekend’s donation drive.

“When we need specific items we just ask for it and it turns up.

“But people don’t always have time to come down to the depot to drop off their donations.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

So Peiffer thought it would be a good idea to bring the courier van to the donations, instead of the other way around.

“Everyone wants to help but they sometimes don’t know how,” Peiffer said.

Two couriers dressed as the superhero will drive around Rotorua on Saturday to collect cyclone relief donations. Photo / Supplied
Two couriers dressed as the superhero will drive around Rotorua on Saturday to collect cyclone relief donations. Photo / Supplied

The idea of recruiting superheroes for the drive came from Tokoroa courier driver Daniel Patterson.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“I’ve known Gina and Elmer for about 15 years,” Patterson said.

“I can’t always help them but I thought this was something I could do.”

Patterson said he had a Spiderman costume at home that he had previously used when delivering homeschooling packages during Covid-19 lockdowns.

“I can’t do flips and I’m not a professional actor but I can be a goofball and make people smile.”

Patterson said he wouldn’t be opposed to posing for selfies either.

“I just thought this would be a lighthearted way to highlight the hardships people are going through after the cyclone.

“If drawing a little attention to it with a costume is going to help then I’m more than happy to do it.”

Rotorua Whakaora co-founders Elmer and Gina Peiffer have already been on the ground on the East Coast co-ordinating flood relief supply drops.

It took the couple about nine hours to reach Hawke’s Bay after filling their van with donations this week.

“We left at 5am yesterday but we didn’t arrive until about 2pm,” Elmer Peiffer said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Peiffer said road closures and 30km/h speed limits contributed to the long driving time but it was worth it.

“We just put a call out on Facebook and once the van was full we drove it down.

“It’s about bringing some lightheartedness into the midst of the heartache.”


Where you can meet Spiderman this Saturday:

  • Selwyn Heights shops 9.30-10.15am.
  • Brookland Rd shops 10.30-11am.
  • Westbrook netball courts front carpark 11.30am-12.15pm.
  • Te Ngae shopping centre 9.30-10.15am.
  • Redwoods shopping centre 10.30-11.15am.
  • Otonga Rd roundabout shops 11.45am-12.15pm.
  • Trade Central 12.30-1.30pm.

Supplies needed:

  • Food, water, milk powder.
  • Baby formula, nappies, wipes.
  • Battery packs.
  • Can openers.
  • Cleaning supplies, medical supplies.
  • Brooms, mops, buckets.
  • Toiletries, towels.
  • Tools, axes, saws, shovels.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

18-year-old cricket star named top young female player in Northern Districts

11 May 02:05 AM
New ZealandUpdated

Raglan Coastguard rescue four clinging to chilly bin in the water

11 May 01:24 AM
New ZealandUpdated

Whale reported tangled in fishing gear at Tasman Bay

11 May 12:23 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

18-year-old cricket star named top young female player in Northern Districts

18-year-old cricket star named top young female player in Northern Districts

11 May 02:05 AM

She was the top wicket-taker in Women’s A cricket with 17 wickets.

Raglan Coastguard rescue four clinging to chilly bin in the water

Raglan Coastguard rescue four clinging to chilly bin in the water

11 May 01:24 AM
Whale reported tangled in fishing gear at Tasman Bay

Whale reported tangled in fishing gear at Tasman Bay

11 May 12:23 AM
'You can have 2, not 3': Polyamorous throuple's battle to keep names on kids' birth certificates

'You can have 2, not 3': Polyamorous throuple's battle to keep names on kids' birth certificates

11 May 12:00 AM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP