TCLD Community worker Mereana Stanley with one of the eight defibrillators. This one is at Pipiriki. Photo / Supplied
TCLD Community worker Mereana Stanley with one of the eight defibrillators. This one is at Pipiriki. Photo / Supplied
For Mereana Stanley it is all too clear how important it is that whānau living isolated up the Whanganui River Road are prepared for the worst.
"I have a grandfather who is 97, he is one of the oldest on the river, he has a pacemaker," she said.
"He livesright next to our marae, so having a radio right there keeps our family at ease," Stanley said.
She is a community worker with TCLD Trust, which has been implementing projects to support residents up the river in matters of resilience, sustainability and wellbeing.
Stanley herself has been installing radios into marae up the river and the TCLT has made generators and defibrillators available in the isolated communities.
"In the event of an emergency, more than likely the river would be cut off," she said.
"Whenever whānau are required to leave their homes, the designated assembly area is the marae."
TCLT operations manager Ramari (Bev) Te Uamairangi said due to the isolated location of the communities it is vital there are systems in place to support the community with unexpected events like floods or earthquakes.
"A big part of TCLT's mahi is empowering whānau by helping to strengthen self-reliance practices and supplementing that with large-scale infrastructure initiatives.
"One of those is emergency preparedness, which includes community preparedness plans and the installation of radios, generators and defibrillators."
For the first three years, TCLD Trust focused on four of the upper river communities and more recently they have begun assisting the four lower communities.
These are now in place for the residents of Pipiriki, Jerusalem, Ranana and Matahiwi. More plans are under action for Koriniti, Atene, Parikino and Pungarehu.
Generators will be capable of supplying the core power needs of a large complex such as a marae.
Two have been put in already at Pipiriki and Jerusalem, and another three will be placed around the river communities within the next month.
Operations manager for TCLD Trust Ramari Bev Te Uamairangi (right), alongside community worker Mereana Stanley. Photo / Bevan Conley
Defibrillators have been installed in all eight communities as well, with TCLT making sure residents were aware of what they were there for and, importantly, how to use them.
Defibrillator training has been started through Awa training co-ordinator Tiara Ranginui.
The courses have been well received and whānau are feeling empowered knowing how to use the units.
The emergence of Covid-19 has highlighted how important it is that people are prepared and are able to be self-sufficient.
Te Uamairangi said the Government is realising this and is looking to communities to draw on their own strengths and knowledge.
"If you think about it, no matter where you live you know what works best for you and your family. That is all we are doing, we are helping our families find their own solutions and just putting support around them to achieve what works best for them."
TCLD is taking an 'whole-of' approach to strengthening our settlement communities, with a ground-up intergenerational focus of social, educational, environmental, employment and cultural development, supported by an 'all-of-government' resourcing strategy.
