Supporting our isolated communities on the East Coast

2023 has seen an unprecedented amount of weather events and subsequent devastation around the country, with parts of the East Coast of the North Island being impacted repeatedly – in the last two years, they’ve been through 5 State of Emergencies, with the communities being cut off from each other because of the many road closures, bridge washouts, slips and cracked roads.

In partnership with Coca-Cola Oceania, we strive to be an early responder for any natural disaster, providing the communities we live, work, and play in, bottled water and in some cases, much needed financial aid. This year alone, we have supported our people and our communities following the Auckland flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle, with thousands of litres of bottled water and hundreds and thousands of dollars of financial aid.

With the latest weather events hitting the East Coast, putting the community in isolation once more – our local sales team wanted to show our support and bring a little magic to the hard hit but resilient East Coast.

Our Gisborne based Territory Sales Manager, Leucadia Shaw teamed up with our legendary local driver, AJ Wilson to distribute bottles of water for those in need, Powerade for the road workers helping to reconnect our East Coast communities, and cans of Coke Zero Sugar for those needing a little magic to brighten their day.

Feedback from the community has been extremely positive, with one local resident saying, this small gesture has made them feel like they haven’t been forgotten and that it’s nice to see such a large company showing they care in times of need. And our own team have been buzzing to have the opportunity to support our local communities.

To find out more about some of the other community work we do, check out our communities' page.