Driving Recovery: TR Group Supports Operation Ōtūmatua in Port Hills Wildfire Cleanup
In February this year, the Port Hills in Christchurch were ravaged by a wildfire that burned for three weeks, destroyed over 700 hectares, and caused the evacuation of 110 properties. It was so extensive that a state of emergency was declared in Christchurch and Selwyn.
The subsequent and significant cleanup, ‘Operation Ōtūmatua’ was overseen by Taskforce Kiwi, a nationwide, veteran-led disaster recovery organisation that provides direct assistance to impacted communities during and after disasters.
One of TR Group’s values is ‘Care – Doing what’s right, for each other, in our work, our community, and the environment. Leaving a lasting imprint.’ And so, it was a no brainer for us support Operation Ōtūmatua’ in the best way we could – by providing the tools to support the cleanup.
TR provided a tipper truck that was used to remove 18m3 of structures and 9.59 tonnes of debris from the vast majority of the destroyed homes. In a letter we received from Taskforce Kiwi, they said that “…the generous provision of modern, capable, and safe vehicles made our veteran volunteers feel valued, made them feel that the work they did had meaning, and made them feel like they were worth supporting”.
Although we were saddened by the devastation of the fire, the team at TR were heartened to be able to do our part to support the cleanup and the communities we serve.
About the author
Shane O'Grady
Shane has been with TR Group since 2014 as our National Sales & Marketing Manager. He is responsible for leading TR Group’s sales efforts, focusing on growing our nationwide footprint and customer base. In addition he drives our marketing and branding strategy across Australia and New Zealand aimed at building TR’s brand and awareness in the heavy commercial vehicle rental and lease space. He leads a team that are passionate about trucks, people and creating long term customer relationships.