The Kaikoura 7.8 Magnitude Quake Effects Story

Let’s begin with the understatement of the year:

The 2016 Quake Effects

It was a very shaky start to the 2016/17 tourism season for our Kaikoura customers, their businesses and families.

Just after midnight on the 14th November, the people and businesses of Kaikoura had their worlds turned upside down in just a few minutes.

The November quake and the aftershocks have had a profound effect on this beautiful and tranquil, small, seaside town.

On my first visit back, I couldn’t believe the level of damage and the changes in the landscape from when I was there just two weeks earlier, on Marlborough anniversary day, 31st October.

You can view images on Google (Kaikoura Quake Images)

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Photo courtesy by contractormag.co.nz

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Photo courtesy by dailymail.co.uk

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Kaikoura & Alsco Linen

Here we are a few months after, and I am happy to say that the town is being rebuilt. Access via the inland road and Christchurch has been mainly restored, unlike the access from Blenheim is still many months – if not years away.

Many of Kaikoura’s unique and wonderful attractions have reopened since then and the tourists are once again visiting Kaikoura.

Over the past 3 weeks, the numbers (e.g. Linen Orders) have almost doubled and as of this week, we are now going to Kaikoura 2 times a week.

The Unconditional Helped Given

However, back in mid-November, it was a different scenario that we were facing. With no road access in or out of Kaikoura and random communications with businesses, emergency agencies and customers. All of this was a regular thing until December.

But what we did have in Kaikoura was a Knight in Shining Armour. Well, maybe not a knight nor shining armour, but our local part-time employee Dan Young (in a shiny Van) who was based in Kaikoura and kept us informed about events as they occurred.

It was a very difficult time for all Kaikoura residence and for Dan it was no different. He had his family and was also working on his other part-time job, delivering milk etc.

Dan stayed in touch with all the Bays Laundry customers that he knew were open. He recovered clean linen from accounts which were not able to open, ensuring service continuance for those that were. This was fantastic and we appreciate Dan’s commitment to his customers very much.

The Soiled Challenge

Yet, we had a new challenge. There was a significant buildup of soiled linen bags. We had to get this soiled product out of Kaikoura as soon as possible. Looking at the short term, this was fine.

However, in the mid-long term, this could become a health hazard and a significant expense for replaced damaged stock.

We looked at a number of different scenarios to get the soiled linen bags out of Kaikoura, including airfreight. However, with $150 a bag and over 300 soiled bags in Kaikoura, this was way too pricey.

The Solution

The help came from Peter, an acquaintance of a friend of mine. He was in the boat building industry in Nelson. Peter owned a fishing boat and because of the quake damage in the bay, his boat was available.

Because of the seabed rising 3-4 metres and lack of fuel available, the local fishing industry in the area basically had to shut down just a few weeks after the quake.

Anyway, I got in contact with Peter and we arranged his fishing boat and crew to meet Dan in Kaikoura, where they loaded almost 300 bags of soiled linen onto the boat. They travelled to Picton for about 10-12 hours approximately, to meet up with our Bays Laundry Service Manager Shane Laurence who collected the linen bags.

We then loaded 150 Bags of clean linen back onto the boat to take back to Kaikoura.

For the next few weeks, as road access was improving, we serviced Kaikoura via the inland road. Initially, we had to go online and register to meet the emergency services, who then provided a guided transport convoy in and out of Kaikoura. Most of the service days consisted of departing from Motueka/Nelson at 3 am, returning at approx. 6 pm.

The cost of maintaining services into and out of Kaikoura is probably doubled than those of last year, with less than half the revenue.

However, as a long-term supplier with a commitment to the market, we owe it to our Kaikoura customers to be there and work with them to rebuild local businesses in the region.

Paul Ladbrook
Branch Manager, Alsco Bays Laundry

Update on the Great Work Within Alsco Charitable Donations Program

The shortest day has passed, so it is time for an update on the activities of Alsco Charitable Donations.

All the Branches and individuals did their best and made valuable contributions of stock.

The objective is to pass on as much of this surplus product to as many good homes as possible.

It is very worthwhile to help those in need and assist Alsco to reduce what is sent to landfill.

Efforts of Alsco and De La Salle College Students for MAA

So far, in 2016, Alsco has continued the association with MAA (Medical Aid Abroad). They have supported 8 developing countries already this year, including:

• many of the Pacific Islands
• Zambia
• Uganda
• East Timor

MAA has moved into a new home, called Costley House, at Greenlane Hospital. This time, they needed a little bit of help with the moving, so Alsco gladly responded. Alsco provided a truck and some volunteer labour to help in the big move.

Alsco was not the only one to assist. It was great to see about a dozen young men from De La Salle College turning up to help. Participation in the school service program is a requirement for all students at De La Salle.

The boys’ help is very valuable to the people that benefit from it. On the other hand, these young men also get a lot out of this experience. The boys gain valuable social and leadership skills which will help them in their futures and make them better citizens of New Zealand.

Committing to Help the Auckland City Mission

This year, Alsco Auckland has made a commitment to the Auckland City Mission, again.

Namely, once a month, 4 employees spend the day at the Mission Distribution Centre, putting together food parcels and sorting clothes.

Hard-working people at Alsco are always looking for opportunities to help out more. During the time spent working at the Mission, Alsco staff, including Gavin Smith, found new ways Alsco could help. Alsco acted on these and a lot of good came from it.

Alsco now provides sheets and First Aid Kits (made up using our surplus stock) for their Crisis Care Centre.

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Crisis Care provides the bare basics to set up families moving into new accommodation. Hopefully, these sheets and First Aid Kits will make them feel a bit safer and a bit more comfortable.

New Chance to Help: Auckland SPCA

Earlier this year, there was a meeting with the Auckland SPCA in order to figure out some ways Alsco can help. The first idea was to offer the First Aid products that they may be able to use. However, they already receive most of what they need from Hospitals and Medical Centres in South Auckland.

Still, SPCA needs fresh bandages for their animals. That is definitely something that Alsco can help with, since it is easy to rip the sheets into bandages.

So, all the damaged sheets now go to the SPCA. The damages include stains, rips, and holes, but they are still very much usable for the purposes of the SPCA.

New Commitment to SHINE: Sheets and First Aid Kits

Scott Bason and Gavin Smith had a very exciting meeting recently with Jane Dunn from the organisation SHINE. The aim of this organization is to provide ‘Safe Homes in NZ Everyday’ and they work closely with the Police and Hospitals.

It was staggering to hear the numbers of adult and child victims of domestic abuse that they deal with. It is great that Alsco is able to contribute to this cause in any way and help these people.

Starting this week Alsco is going to provide SHINE with sheets, pillow cases and First Aid Kits for them. This will be an ongoing relationship, similar to the City Mission Crisis Care.

The first placement was for 120 sheets and 200 First Aid Kits of various sizes. Visit SHINE website for more information. Moreover, you can learn there about different ways to help victims of domestic abuse yourself.

Other Alsco’s Charitable Donations

Other organisations that Alsco has donated to in the past few months are:

• Christian Youth Camps – this is an annual event at Poronui which Alsco has supported for the past four years.
• Hurrah Dog Rescue – a charitable trust for rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of animals.
• Auckland Puppy Rescue – a charitable trust that rescues puppies and offers them training, socialization, health care and help.
• Bethells Beach Life Guards – an organisation of both volunteer and professional lifeguards that keep the Bethells Beach safe for the public.
• Pay it Forward – This is the second year of Alsco supporting this Foundation that helps families in need and promotes acts of kindness

Total of Donated Material

Alsco keeps track of its donated material to be able to make proper plans for improving the efforts. To everyone’s great pleasure, numbers add up fast.

Not counting the local initiatives, in the last 6 months Alsco has donated:

• 281 First Aid Kits fully stocked with surplus products from our First Aid program
• 65 Cartons full of sorted First Aid products for overseas use
• 2 Large Pallets of Sheets to MAA (1x Tonga 1 x Samoa)
• 860 Sheets for City Mission and Shine
• 100 damaged sheets to SPCA and Dog Rescues.

Keeping Up the Good Work

People at Alsco continue to look for new organisations to talk to. Unfortunately, at times, when Alsco approaches an organization, it turns out that they are unable to help.

Not because there is a lack of initiative or will from both sides, but simply because the products that Alsco has to offer do not match the needs of that organization.

However, it is amazing how many people in NZ are doing good work on a voluntary basis for the worthy causes they are passionate about.

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It is very rewarding to be part of the Alsco Charitable Donations program. Helping people in need, both here in New Zealand and abroad truly fills one’s heart. That and seeing how appreciative people are for Alsco’s support are the biggest prize one can hope for.

A Special Alsco Thanks to Pat – Our Ambassador

Pat Munro is the type of person everyone looks up to. She is brimming with passion for what she does and is always looking to help those not so fortunate in the world.

Alsco is extremely fortunate she has attacked the ambassadorial role with the energy and work ethic that defined her time prior to her retirement from Alsco.

Pat is happiest when busiest. She is expected to come every Thursday morning, but her car is at ‘work’ at Fresh & Clean Auckland much more often than that.

Always with fresh baking for our team, Pat spends hours sorting and packing goods she receives from the Alsco branches for reuse and repurposing.

Pat is not alone in her efforts. It is great to see other volunteers joining. Their help is precious, especially preparing the goods for SHINE. It is a worthy cause that makes a difference, right here in New Zealand.

Better yet, these hard-working volunteers have recycled surplus ripped or stained sheets into cot sheets for the cause. This is a fantastic way of recycling our old rental products.

At the same time, people are helping a good cause and reducing the waste.

Pat acknowledges the help she gets at her base in Kingsland, specifically thanking for the assistance from Scott, Susan & Albert.

Everyone at Alsco thanks you.

It is important to thank all the branches and people who contribute to the Alsco redistribution programs. The impact of these actions is very positive for the Alsco brand, and everyone is very proud of Pat and her entire team.

Alsco remains active in local communities too. If you want to feel good about our work, check out its results. Look at the long list of causes that benefit from Alsco’s sponsorship.

If there is a new sponsorship arrangement missing here, please, contact Gavin Smith at gsmith@alsco.co.nz.

Photo Courtesy: Flickr Image by Leticia Bertin

Alsco in the Community – See What we do in Your Local Community

Alsco NZ is proud to be an active supporter in the local communities we belong to supporting a wide range of non for profit, sporting and, local community organisations and initiatives. This is also in conjunction with our involvement with our three key sponsorship initiatives with Medical Aid Abroad, Auckland City Mission and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

How Alsco is contributing