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Difficulties in getting essential supplies to Kawau Island under the Covid-19 lockdown have prompted residents to rally together to ensure critical goods get through.
Kawau chief fire officer Gavin Brunton says the island’s boat owners have volunteered to get around the problem by collecting shopping lists from neighbours, then setting sail to pick them up from the mainland.
The Kawau Voluntary Rural Fire Force has stepped in to coordinate the effort.
“We’ve set up a database and an internal email address list of those on the island so that we can keep people informed about what options are available – for getting everything from food to pharmacy supplies delivered out here,” Mr Brunton says.
Kawau islanders typically order groceries from Warkworth supermarkets online. The supplies are then delivered on a regular boat service carrying freight on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
But Mr Brunton says overloaded supermarket online ordering systems has seen this process break down. Islanders are increasingly finding it necessary to pick up groceries from supermarkets themselves or find somebody to do it for them.
Islanders without their own boat usually reach the mainland via water taxi. But taxi operator Kawau Cruises has been forced to limit the number of passengers on its taxis to make sure there is adequate social distancing in the wake of Covid-19.
Mr Brunton says that significantly ramps up the cost of using taxis for islanders who are used to sharing the cost of a taxi with several others.
He adds that because of the disruption to the usual services, most food is reaching the island by the new service being run by the island’s rural fire force.
The service is being bolstered by community groups in Warkworth who are offering to do shopping for vulnerable Kawau residents and delivering items to Sandspit for pick up by boats heading back to the island.
“Everyone is pulling together,” Mr Brunton says.
Meanwhile, Mr Brunton discourages anyone from thinking Kawau Island might be a good place to come to sit out the lockdown.
He says boat owners have already taken on shopping duties for numerous people, and it would be wrong to add to the burden. Moreover, a bigger island population would inevitably mean more fire and emergency call outs, increasing the chances of transmitting Covid-19 between firefighters and others.
Mr Brunton says the supply coordination effort is not part of the duties of the island’s fire service, nevertheless, being an island, the service often finds itself assuming civil defence type roles.
