Maori-owned orchards bounce back from cyclone damage
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
About 100km of donated fencing was distributed to farmers impacted by cyclones and floods.
"It was great to see the smiles on the faces of the farmers and their families," said Danny Blampied, NZ director for RRT.
"These people have been through some hard times in 2023, so it was great to be able to cheer them up and give them a reason to be hopeful."
The RRT has staged five Farmers Community Connect events in NZ in the past few months, providing more than 1300 farmers with fencing materials. Each donated pack is worth $1,500.
The FCC events have provided free food and coffee for the community to come along and celebrate their local farmers. The RRT has also organised up to 20 agencies to be on hand to provide support and advice to farmers and their families.
"It was great to see people from Wellsford and surrounds turning out for these events," Blampied said.
The RRT is the charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. It was established in NZ in 2014 and has about 14,500 volunteers around the world.
