WEDNESDAY,JULY 6, 2022
Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
INSIDE: INSPIRED TO RESTORE THE MOANA P16
Christmas comes early P12
Richmond Funeral Home
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Worth their weight in gold New Zealand is a nation built on, and sustained by volunteers. Re˜ ecting on National Volunteer Week, Midweek does a deep-dive on the region’s volunteer ÿ re brigades.
Mary Argue The latest report commissioned by the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector revealed some stunning statistics: almost half, 49.8 per cent, of New Zealanders volunteer with an organisation directly in their communities. The combined effort of these volunteers contributed
an estimated economic value of $4 billion a year. Wairarapa is no stranger to volunteer organisations. In celebration of National Volunteer Week at the end of June, the United Fire Brigade’s Association [UFBA] reported some lesser-known facts about our volunteer brigades, of which Wairarapa boasts 13 — rural and urban. UFBA said volunteer firefighters comprise 85 per cent of Fire and
Emergency’s [FENZ] frontline workforce and, if monetised, their work was an estimated $659million saving for the taxpayer. Outside Wairarapa’s urban brigades, including Masterton’s composite career and volunteer brigade, volunteer firefighters support communities in Castlepoint, Riversdale, Lake Ferry, Ngawi, Tora, Mauriceville, Tinui and Wainiuoru.
FENZ confirmed as of July 1, 2021, 300 volunteers served in Wairarapa, including firefighters, officers, and operational support staff. FENZ group manager Craig Cottrill said the brigades respond to various events, about 350 a year. In addition to attending fires,
volunteer brigades, especially in remote communities, were generally first on the scene of medical events, car crashes, and water accidents. Cottrill said data from the past year indicated that the urban South Wairarapa brigades Continued on page 3
Colin McKenna. PHOTOS/FILE
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