Chris Hart, with staff Jaspreet Singh, left, John Harris, Gwen Moana and Guri Kaur have put in big hours to keep food available for the community. Photo / Paul Taylor
Chris Hart, with staff Jaspreet Singh, left, John Harris, Gwen Moana and Guri Kaur have put in big hours to keep food available for the community. Photo / Paul Taylor
Flaxmere New World owner Chris Hart has been working ungodly hours through the Covid-19 lockdown.
Hastings ambassador and Flaxmere ward councillor Henare O'Keefe has described him as a reluctant hero.
Hart believes he's doing no more than anyone else would.
Admittedly Hart has been working "lots of hours", but sois everyone else, he said.
"I usually start at 5 or 6am and finish at 8 or 9pm," he said.
"That way we can meet delivery nice and early to get the majority of our stock on the shelves, to limit interaction between staff and customers.
"We then allow the public who are looking after the community to come in when the store is closed between 5.30 and 6.30am so they can then load up their trolleys and distribute to those in need."
He said he was "blessed" to have a team of volunteers and a great team of 65 'rostered on' staff working with him.
"The volunteers help out with crowd control, stocking our shelves and cleaning, which takes some of the pressure of our team.
"And I want to send a big shout out to my team, I want to thank them. They are fronting up everyday, day in day out, all the while doing it with a smile on their faces."
O'Keefe believes Covid-19 and the level 4 lockdown has brought out the heroes in the Flaxmere community.
"We have seen so many examples of people really making the effort to look after each other while sticking to the physical distancing rules that are keeping us safe," O'Keefe said.
"Like allowing the elderly and those pregnant to jump into the queue at the supermarket and a resident doing shopping for their entire street and showing absolute respect for essential workers," O'Keefe said.
And Hart is on his list of people going out of their way to make lives easier for members of the community, he said.
"He's a reluctant hero. For him he's just doing his job, but he works ungodly hours, and he lets people like those helping the community to come in early and bulk shop," O'Keefe said.
O'Keefe said he was "most impressed" with the way the community reacted to the recent Covid-19 case.
"The community showed compassion and sympathy rather than ridiculing them as in other parts of the country. This is what's great about living in Flaxmere."
Peleti Oli and Henare O'Keefe have been trying to keep the community spirit up during the lockdown. Photo / Supplied
O'Keefe and fellow Flaxmere ward councillor Peleti Oli have say they've been proudly supporting their community since the lockdown announcement.
Oli said Hastings communities such as Flaxmere, Camberley, Mayfair and Mahora had been identified as priority areas for many agencies and organisations providing welfare support in the region, and both councillors would be doing whatever they could to support them.
"Many of our whānau live below the poverty line and some can't access help easily as they don't have phones or the internet," Oli said.
"Unfortunately these communities can be over-represented in terms of negative health statistics which makes them particularly vulnerable to coronavirus."
Both councillors reiterated the Government message to stay home.
"It's important we remember that message. It's a worrying time for the likes of our Pacific community who may have up to four or five generations living in one home - if one person gets sick, it will potentially spread between everyone in that home," he said.
"We are so proud of how Flaxmere is managing and supporting one another – it's truly inspiring. Regardless of what the next weeks and months hold, if we follow the rules and continue to show this kindness in our community, we will get through this."
