Pride of NZ: Maera Maki-Anderson

Maera Maki-Anderson says local fire crews are vital. Photo / Stephen Parker

When the Kaingaroa Forest Volunteer Fire Brigade membership dwindled to just four, the station was faced with closure.

So Maera Maki-Anderson, station officer and long-serving member at neighbouring Murupara Volunteer Fire Brigade, decided to act. She approached every resident of the small Bay of Plenty town in an effort to save the brigade.

"We rallied people around and door knocked the whole Kaingaroa village. We went there in the morning and those that weren't home we went back in the afternoon."

Her recruitment drive paid off with 15 new members signing up, ensuring the station's future.

Her efforts in salvaging the Kaingaroa Brigade resulted in a nomination in the Emergency Services section of the Pride of New Zealand Awards. She was named regional winner in the category for the mid-North Island.

The Pride of New Zealand nomination has been a big boost for the town, often in the headlines for negative reasons.

Ms Maki-Anderson, 46, says local fire stations in small communities are extremely important, especially now as ambulances are not always readily available. "If somebody has a cardiac arrest, we are it."

Ms Maki-Anderson has been involved with Murupara Volunteer Fire Brigade for 26 years. She has been station officer for the past 11.

It is a family affair, with 43 members of her family involved during that time. "That includes myself, my daughters, my dad, my mother, my two brothers, sisters and partner."

The Murupara station has 20 operational fire fighters.

Station members also drive fundraising efforts in the town including for the family of the Japanese girl badly bitten by a dog earlier this year.

Ms Maki-Anderson puts in countless hours at the station.

"You could say I practically live down there," she said.