Kia hiki te mamae o te Hapori o Te Tairāwhiti
Lifting of the hurt/pain of our community in Te Tairāwhiti
On a crisp spring morning as the sun rose over Te Tairāwhiti, emergency services from across the rohe came together to reflect and heal following a year of trauma in the region.
Members of Police, Fire & Emergency, Hato Hone (St John), Te Runanganui O Ngati Porou, Te Runanga o Turanga-nui-a-Kiwa, Civil Defence Emergency Management, Te Whatu Ora and other support agencies braved the frosty morning to gather at the Gisborne Fire Station for karakia and kai.
It’s been a difficult year for Tairāwhiti with a range of serious incidents, including a double homicide in Gisborne in March, three local fishermen drowning in rough seas in June, and a five-year-old drowning in a farm pond at Tiniroto last month. There have also been several fatal road crashes, forestry and hunting fatalities and flooding events.
Acting Tairāwhiti Area Commander Danny Kirk started by acknowledging that so many of the emergency services personnel in Tairāwhiti had been involved with one, and in some cases all, of the tragic incidents that have occurred this year.
“We work so closely in times of tragedy, and in times of triumph as well, but it’s important we come together as a cohort of emergency services and wrap support around ourselves, as well as those personally affected by tragedy,” said Danny.
Tairāwhiti Fire & Emergency District Manager Peter Clark told the gathering that as a collective sometimes they don’t have anyone else to lean on but their emergency service partners.
“We all go to these jobs and act in the most professional way we can, but it does have an impact on us too. When get in our vehicles, get back to the station or get home that’s when it really impacts on our whānau, ourselves, and the wider emergency services group,” said Peter.
The decision to come together as a first responder collective stemmed from a desire to conduct karakia under the korowai of the Tikanga manaaki and be part of something to help heal.
For a small community, when a person passes away the ripple effect is felt through the whole area.