Opinion: Peiffers deserve thanks for selfless contribution

Elmer and Gina Peiffer of Love Soup Rotorua. Photograph by Stephen Parker

No one will blame Gina and Elmer Peiffer for their decision to step back from helping people in need find homes.

They are just two people, who have been doing everything humanly possible to provide the basics of life to hundreds of others. It had become an all consuming task and it's not surprising something had to give.

We recognised the Peiffers a few months ago for all the work their organisation Love Soup Rotorua had done, by naming them our People of the Year. It had been a pretty easy decision.

The nominations for Gina and Elmer had flooded in, from people who had been given a helping hand and others that had seen first hand how the couple's efforts had snowballed into something far bigger than they had the funding or resources to sustain.

They deserved to be thanked then and they deserve to be thanked again now.

They said stepping back was the hardest decision they had made and were anxious and scared about what will happen to the families that had been working with.

That's a sentiment echoed by other agencies and our mayor Steve Chadwick, who acknowledges again the growing demand for housing.

So what happens now? Other agencies will step in to fill the void left by Love Soup but will it be enough? Mrs Chadwick has called on the Government to respond.

That response needs to be quick. It's already a disgrace there are people sleeping in cars and on the street. With winter coming, no more help from Love Soup and the housing shortage showing no signs of abating, the need for solutions just got even more urgent.

Suicide has been in the news a bit lately, which is great. Not great that people are taking their own lives but that it's starting to be talked about.

The family of Mark Dunlop have spoken out today about their son - a young man who seemed to have the world at his feet before he took his own life a year ago during Crankworx.

His death shocked the mountain biking community, who tonight are holding a ball in Mark's honour to raise awareness about suicide and concussion - something his family believe played a part in his decision-making.

We hope their bravery in sharing his story might just prevent more loss of life. Talk to someone, reach out. It's a message that can't be repeated too often.