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Geraldine High Primary Industry Academy students Quinn Foley-Smith, Bryn Chisholm and Jacob Muff working on Hawke’s Bay fencelines during their school holidays.
An army of volunteers has been assembled by the Fencing Contractors Association (FCANZ) who this week (May 18-19) will start refencing cyclone-damaged parts of the Hawke’s Bay.
This is all part of the association’s ‘Help a mate, buy a gate’ campaign.
“We all saw the awful images during the floods and in the immediate aftermath, but now, three months on, those in cyclone-hit areas are living with the everyday reality of the sheer scale of damage. It’s just overwhelming for many people,” says Phil Cornelius, FCANZ president.
“Our aim is to deliver as much high-quality rural fencing as we can in two days and take some of the load off for local landowners and fencing contractors alike.”
Cornelius says as the body for the fencing industry, the association is in the unique position to be able to gather together skilled contractors. FCANZ industry partners have also jumped on board for the event – supplying machinery, fencing supplies, labour and food for the volunteers.
Three Primary Industry Academy (PIA) students from Geraldine High School, who have already completed a week in the area during the school holidays are also helping out.
Following the May event, FCANZ will continue to fundraise and will be back again in the region with more skilled volunteers in late spring.
“The reality is that the sheer damage to the area means that it will be some time until the full scale of the rebuild is known,” Cornelius explains. “Reinstating permanent fencing in the region can’t start until the silt and debris have been cleared. This is just the start – we will be back.”
To learn more about FCANZ Fencing Days and the “Help a mate, buy a gate” fundraising campaign visit: www.fcanz.org.nz/help-a-mate-buy-a-gate
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