The massive job of picking up the pieces following the havoc wrought by the winter storms across Tasman District continues.
Many organisations have been working with local groups and agencies, but two at the forefront of clean-up efforts have been workers from Enhanced Taskforce Green and Taskforce Kiwi. Their work is coordinated by the Rural Support Trust.
Enhanced Task Force Green is a disaster recovery employment support scheme. It employs jobseekers (and people at risk of losing their jobs due to the event) to assist with clean-up in impacted communities. Funding pays for wages, health and safety training, light equipment, and transport.
Two crews of nine workers, each with a supervisor and coordinated by Whenua Iti Outdoors, have been highly invested in the work they’re doing. These teams are doing the hard yards with the manual clean-up of debris, agricultural waste, and silt, mainly in the Motueka and Wai-iti catchments.
The other group that has been working tirelessly is Taskforce Kiwi.
Established in 2022, Taskforce Kiwi taps into the skills and experience of former and serving defence and emergency services personnel, alongside members of the wider community, to provide direct assistance to impacted communities before, during and after disasters.
The Taskforce Kiwi team is fully self-contained, bringing with them equipment, vehicles, and even their own stretchers to sleep on.
Throughout the recovery period, a team of between 10 and 16 people have been on the chainsaws and diggers also assisting with the clean-up.
If you need assistance, call the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.