Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz says her week has been made after receiving a hand-written letter with $20 enclosed for flood relief efforts.
On Monday, Stoltz arrived at work to find the letter on her desk, but the contents were not what she was expecting.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz holds up the handwritten letter. Photo: Rebecca Grunwell/Gisborne Herald.
"I receive quite a few handwritten letters … but normally from someone who is a little upset or who wants us to do something. So it was really heart warming to receive this," Stoltz said.
The letter, written by Thea Stratton of Auckland, said it would go against the "kiwi spirit" to ignore the rain events of last month, and asked that the money be included in the mayoral fund for recovery efforts.
"I know it is not much, but I guess as they say, every penny helps - or cents as it is now," the letter said.
Stratton concluded by wishing the council well with the clean-up, and drawing a giant smiley face.
"May a Phoenix rise above all this for you."
Tairāwhiti was hit hard by flooding two weeks ago, splitting the bridge at Tokomaru Bay in two. Photo: ATS Engineering & Network Solutions/Supplied
Mayor Stoltz described the message as "beautiful", and said the $20 would be one of the first contributions to the Mayoral Relief Fund for flood relief in Tairāwhiti, which the government kick-started with $175,000 on March 23.
"It's what's behind it. Someone who saw on the news something bad happening in a place, and decided 'how can I make a little difference?'," Stoltz said.
"I will be writing to Thea saying she absolutely made my week."
On Thursday evening, Local Democracy Reporting tracked down a "shocked" but "quite chuffed" Stratton who was surprised the letter had created ripples at the council.
Auckland resident Thea Stratton said growing up on Great Barrier Island taught her to look out for the needs of others. Photo: Stephen Forbes/Stuff/LDR
Speaking from her New Lynn home, she said she was compelled to give after seeing images of people doing it tough on the news.
"I was brought up on Great Barrier and that's what we all do over there. If something goes wrong, we think 'it's just $20', and that's what we all do."
Sending money on a whim was nothing new for Stratton, who said she'd recently sent the same amount to her granddaughter in Australia, and was planning to make a contribution to a neighbourhood church that was also affected by flooding.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not super rich. If I was super rich, it'd be a few hundred or a few thousand," she said.
"I've been away from the Barrier since I was 13, but it's never left me, that community spirit."
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air