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Mangawhai social advocacy organisation, Te Whai Community Trust, has become one of the growing number of locations where people can find vital equipment when confronted with a sudden life-or-death heart crisis.
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) has been attached to the external wall of Te Whai’s Moir Street centre after being donated by Hato Hone St John on July 16, followed by their ‘3 Steps for Life’ training session for volunteers.
Te Whai manager Kiri Eriwata says with all the programmes the organisation runs and various groups using the centre, it made sense to have an AED on site.
“We have lots of young families and older people in the community who use our space here and even though the Domain has a unit, it’s just a few minutes too long to go there and then get access to the AED,” she says. “This is something that we’ve talked about for quite a long time and it’s taken a few people to get it across the line, so a big thank you to St John and everyone involved.“
Bream Bay Area Committee chair Nicholas Roberts says AEDs are essential to have in accessible locations within communities, as every minute counts when an individual is going into cardiac arrest.
“For every minute that it takes to get a defibrillator to somebody, their chance of survival drops by eight to 10 per cent, so it doesn’t take long before it’s too late. And that’s why we’re keen to get these all out around the community,” he says.
St John has up to 40 AEDs at clubs, shopping areas and eateries between Mangawhai and One Tree Point and helps to maintain a further 20-plus private units, which are also available to the public.
Roberts says they are able to donate the units thanks to “our little store, the St John Mangawhai Op Shop,” which pays for most of the organisation’s expenses in the district.
“It’s only because of people supporting our store that we can keep giving back to the community,” he says. “I hope, firstly, that this defib may never be used, secondly, if it is, that’s great because that’s what it’s here for, and thirdly, may it save a life.”
Te Whai Community Trust is located at 73 Moir Street, Mangawhai, by the Domain. To find nearby AEDs, see https://aedlocations.co.nz
