Russia-Ukraine war: Kiwi Ukrainians send 200 wheelchairs and 10 beds to frontline hospitals

A group of Ukrainian New Zealanders have sent a container filled with 10 hospital beds, 200 wheelchairs, eight electric wheelchairs and 10 walking frames to the war-torn country.

The Ukrainian Association of New Zealand was able to source the wheelchairs and beds from different companies across New Zealand.

However, bringing them to Auckland proved a problem.

Freight delivery company Mark Grey Carriers offered to drive from Auckland to Palmerston North to pick up the wheelchairs and bring them back to Auckland at no cost.

Auckland-based Ukrainian Edward Patkevych said they were stunned by the offer.

“They drove for two days - we offered to pay for their petrol but they said no.

New Zealand Ukrainians filled a container with wheelchairs and hospital beds to send to Ukraine.

“They said ‘it’s our donation’.”

The association’s traditional role is that of a cultural organisation to connect Ukrainian communities and hold cultural and culinary events.

However, that all changed on February 24 two years ago.

In July last year, the same group filled a 40-foot (12m) container with medicine, clothing, blankets, toys and other goods.

The container was held for free by electrical components company Regal Rexnord in its West Auckland yard.

The filled containers are shipped to Poland, where charity organisations unpack the goods and load them on to trucks for delivery across Ukraine.

When the goods arrive in Ukraine, an organisation called Dobrovoz distributes them among families in need, as well as soldiers.

The wheelchairs were wrapped and loaded into a container bound for Ukrainian war hospitals.

The transportation costs of this container were funded by the Andrew Bagshaw Memorial Trust - a charity named after the New Zealand humanitarian aid worker killed in Ukraine in 2023.

Bagshaw’s father Philip said Andrew had become enamoured with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people while over there so he would have supported any chance to help them.

Patkevych said hospitals in Ukraine are now fighting for wheelchairs.

He said the difference between the quality of New Zealand and Ukrainian wheelchairs is astronomical.

“Some of the people in hospitals in Ukraine initially said they could take one or two to try, but came back straight away, saying ‘do you have five more? Ten more?’

“They told us that some Ukrainian wheelchairs need two people to push them.”

Patkevych said there is a huge shortage of everything at the moment.

“In previous containers nine months ago, we sent civilian clothes. They said, ‘okay we can take some of these’ now they take anything.”

A new United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs study found 40 per cent of the Ukrainian population will need humanitarian assistance this year.

In February, the Government sent $25.9 million in aid to Ukraine, including $6.5m to purchase weapons, the first such aid in nearly 18 months.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins also said further sanctions on Russia are being worked on.

The announcement was made to coincide with the two-year anniversary of war breaking out and includes an extension to the deployment of up to 97 NZDF personnel to Europe to train Ukrainian soldiers and provide logistical support.

The support brings New Zealand’s total aid to Ukraine to more than $100m.

New Zealand Ukrainians filled a container with walking frames for hospitals near the war's frontline.