Foodstuffs North Island Cyclone Gabrielle Update

Chris Quin, CEO Foodstuffs North Island:

Today we’re deeply saddened by the passing of one of our team members, Marie Greene, who lost her life at home as a result of the cyclone. Marie worked on the checkouts at New World Greenmeadows and was a generous and kind people-person who was much loved by her team-mates. We’re heartbroken for Marie’s family, friends and everyone who knew and loved her.

New World Greenmeadows Owner Operator Iain Beaton says: “Marie was a much loved member of our checkout team and will be greatly missed.”

There’s a long journey ahead for communities hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle. As well as looking out for each other at this really sad time, our priority is to make sure everyone has access to essential groceries and to support the recovery where we can make the most difference.

We’ve set up our emergency HereforNZ fund to react quickly to what communities need and are partnering with local food banks, food rescue and other community groups to provide support, by way of product donation, so they can keep their shelves full and get food and essentials to where they’re needed most. For example, we contributed $20k to Super Grans, a local foodbank in Tairawhiti/Gisborne. We’re doing this through our locally owned and operated stores and so far, we’ve provided over $300k in support for flood and cyclone impacted communities and individuals. We want to thank all our partners for their hard mahi – we love partnering with you all and you’re doing incredible work.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all our teams, suppliers and business partners who’ve been working tirelessly to make sure essential supplies can reach affected areas. Yesterday we got deliveries by truck into several communities that have been isolated including Gisborne, Tairua and today, Ruatoria.

Over the last few days drivers have braved very challenging conditions like slips, fallen trees on roads and flood waters, on occasion coming up to window height. At times drivers were having to leave their vehicles to clear trees and debris from the roads so they can continue their journey and get supplies into stores. Just some of the heroics that so many people have displayed.

Our brand-new Cross Dock in Hastings is just a few weeks old and has proved invaluable as a staging point from where we’ve been able to coordinate our deliveries. Yesterday and today has seen us shift 40 pallets of stock and Starlink kits by helicopter to isolated communities like Wairoa, Tokomaru Bay, Tologa Bay and Ruatoria.

Some Coromandel communities have been getting deliveries from Waka Kai - New World Whitianga’s delivery boat which has been out and about over the last few days delivering to places hard to access via road across the greater Coromandel region - Cooks Beach, Hahei, Matarangi, Opito Bay, Whangapoua, Tairua and Pauanui.

Foodstuffs North Island’s IT team and its partners have been deploying Starlink kits, satellite-based internet solutions, to help affected stores open for business and to continue serving their communities.The Starlink kits and IT technicians have been flown in by chopper to areas without road access in order to get stores operational.

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