Lynne has recently taken on the role of District 9930 ERK coordinator. She has a long history of Rotary Service and, at one point, both her and her husband were Rotary Presidents AND their daughter was a Rotaract President, all in the same year!
Lynne gave a potted history of ERKs. For over 30 years ERKs have been supplied to Pacific Island families in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, usually a cyclone, earthquake or tsunami. The boxes have evolved in response to feedback from users. Originally they contained random donated items but are now standardised. Today's ERK contains; basic tools to secure food e.g. fishing line and for cooking, items for first aid, birthing and hygiene, clothes, tarpaulins, water purification tablets and the container itself can be used to store water.
Since 2005 the NZ government has invested in ERKs. Boxes are prepared in Auckland by Rotarians who remove the packaging from items and pack them into floatable ERK boxes. Contents are purchased in NZ and the scheme is sponsored by some of our major stores; The Warehouse, Bunnings, The Baby Factory and Kmart.
ERKs are stored at strategic sites in Auckland, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga and are only released by Rotary NZ World Community Service (RNZWCS) when authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When necessary the NZ armed forces will assist with delivery, as was required after Cyclone Winston.
RNZWCS is one of the few organisations, alongside Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, Caritas and World Vision, who are authorised to deliver aid from NZ state funding.
Lynne thanked Rotary Matamata, and some of our individual Rotarians, for their strong support for the ERK programme.
