Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe visits flood-affected communities

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe with Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst.

Whanganui residents have dug deep to support Hawke’s Bay communities that have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, and last week Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe visited the region to offer support on behalf of his community, according to a statement from Whanganui District Council.

Over the past months, the people of Whanganui raised almost $90,000, which was put into the Hastings Mayoral Relief Fund and distributed to support a range of affected individuals, and organisations assisting with the response and recovery efforts.

“It was wonderful to have Mayor Andrew in Hastings to see the impact of the cyclone for himself after having co-ordinated the collection of donations from Whanganui residents eager to support those who had been affected by the cyclone,” said Hastings District Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst.

“Many of our community have accessed this generous donation for cleaning up houses and silt and much more — we are so grateful for this support to help our community get through this very tough time,” she said.

Funding recipients ranged from the Hawke’s Bay Clean Up Crew to One Voice Community Services Trust, Meal Drive Hawke’s Bay, Waiohiki Arts Village, and the Puketapu School Parent League.

Mayor Andrew, who visited Pākowhai and Esk Valley, and spoke with affected residents, said his own community’s experiences meant he knew it was not just about the immediate response, it was during the recovery that the real mahi happened.

“Whanganui has a long association with the people of Hawke’s Bay — it’s a devastating time for Hawke’s Bay and Hastings and it’s great for us to give back,” he said.

“Our district has had its own share of weather events in the past, so we know what it feels like, and our community wanted to find ways to respond.

“I went down the street with collection buckets and not one person declined to donate. Businesses also contributed and were happy to do so in these tough times for the people of Hawke’s Bay and Hastings,” he said.

Over the past five months, a total of $339,105 had been raised and deposited into the Hastings Mayoral Relief Fund. Of that, $280,815 had so far been committed to support 61 local people or projects.