North's fruit helps chilly south

Two tonnes of citrus fruit collected from Whangarei last winter was gratefully received in Christchurch. Photo / File

Citrus fruit collected from Whangarei will be sent to Canterbury residents to help to fight their winter woes for the second year in a row.

Last year, Christine Stephenson, who moved to Whangarei in 2012 from Christchurch where she had lived for 25 years, organised the first Citrus For Christchurch campaign. It sent well over two tonnes of fruit to the South Island city.

She got the idea when she saw the excess fruit around Northland and recalled how hard it was to get in Christchurch. Citrus is also good at helping fight the winter sniffles.

Ms Stephenson is overseas this year so the campaign is being organised by Whangarei's Lions clubs. Spokesman Terry Ward said the clubs hoped to gather two tonnes of fruit.

Last year's fruit was gratefully received by the Christchurch City Mission and supporting co-ops and he was putting out the call for those with excess citrus to bring them to collection days.

"Bring your freshly picked citrus to the Forum North Car Park on July 25-26 between 8am and 4pm. We will be right by the Forum North main entrance in a truck kindly loaned by Rent a Cheepy," he said.

Mr Ward said Mainfreight in Whangarei had agreed to pay for shipment of 150 banana boxes to Christchurch.

Banana boxes have been collected from Pak n Save and Regent New World and are ready for distribution.

"People may like to pick up their own banana box from their local store. If a box cannot be filled from one household, friends and neighbours, people are asked to use plastic bags to deliver the fruit. Keeping the different fruits separate would be helpful," he said.

Mr Ward said a bug burrowed into citrus was around and if people noticed a small hole in their fruit they should not bring it in.

The citrus will be delivered to a fruit and vege co-op in Christchurch which was started 22 years ago but has grown since the earthquakes.

There are now 30 distribution sites around Christchurch and 2300 or more active members.