Rugby Club Emergency Support

How a Rugby For Life Coordinator Strengthened Clubs During Cyclone Gabrielle  

In February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle brought devastating floods, high winds, and widespread infrastructure damage across Northland and surrounding regions. For many communities, local rugby clubs quickly became lifelines- emergency shelters, kitchens, meeting places, and hubs of essential services. Holding these efforts together were the Rugby for Life Coordinators, who mobilised to care for their communities when help was most needed. 

Thanks to support from Milford Foundation Funding, over $40,000 was secured for eligible clubs during the recovery. This funding didn’t just cover costs, it helped communities continue to function, recover and rebuild. These success stories show just how vital a Rugby for Life Coordinator is for club resilience, both during emergencies and beyond. 

Te Rarawa Rugby Football Club: The Heart of Ahipara

RFL Coordinator at that time: Georgina Lidgard  

Situated in the seaside village of Ahipara, Te Rarawa Rugby Club is far more than a sports facility. It is the town’s official emergency centre and plays a central role in community life. Schools use it for events, helicopters land on its fields during emergencies, and rain-soaked weddings seek shelter inside its walls. 

During Cyclone Gabrielle, the club became a refuge. But heavy rain and violent winds forced water through window frames, soaking the internal walls. Volunteers worked through the night to move community members away from collapsing areas inside the club. Damage was significant, and the structural integrity of the building is now in question. 

The community cannot afford repairs alone. Without this facility, the school loses its access to kitchen amenities. Emergency response could be hindered. There would be no central space for gathering, safety, or kai. 

Through the support of a dedicated Rugby For Life Coordinator, Te Rarawa accessed recovery funding to begin tackling the damage. Their journey is a clear example of the difference coordination makes in moments of crisis. 

Onerahi Rugby Football Club: Holding Community Together During Crisis 

RFL Coordinator: Fiona Raymond  

Located in Whangārei’s seaside suburb, Onerahi Rugby Club is a space where sport, community, and culture thrive. But three weeks after the cyclone, a dreadful smell emerged from the club’s drains. It was traced to stormwater overload in the drainage system. Hydrotech advised the entire system needs flushing - a cost the club could not cover alone. 

The impact is immediate and wide-reaching: 

• The club’s kitchen renter, who makes school lunches for tamariki, can no longer use cooking facilities due to the health risk in the kitchen. 

• Fiona had established a fortnightly hangi night with hot meals and community connection that had to be cancelled until repairs were made . 

• An upcoming home game was expected to lose up to $2,000, as the bar and canteen had to remain shut. 

Fiona, as Rugby For Life Coordinator, swiftly took action. She contacted council, investigated the drainage issue, and coordinated quotes. She positioned the club to receive support quickly when Milford Foundation’s relief became available. The funding enabled the club to move forward with repair work critical for food safety and community health and community spirit. 

Kaeo Rugby Sports Club: Emergency Services When No One Else Was There 

RFL Coordinator: Nyze Porter  

Kaeo Rugby Sports Club sits at the centre of its remote, rural community. Kaeo has no civil defence and no central emergency agency presence. When the cyclone hit, power went out for 19 days, batteries in mobile towers died after 48 hours, and residents lost all communication for over two weeks. 

Rugby For Life Coordinator Nyze Porter and her team transformed the club into a functioning emergency services base. They: 

• Transported elderly and at-risk residents to safety 

• Offered shelter, hot meals, and showers to around 40 people per day 

• Worked with a local police officer and ambulance staff to offer emergency medical care 

• Provided food parcels and care packs to families in critical need 

Years before, the club rebuilt its facility using limited money. They couldn’t finish the new roof, so part of the old one was reused. That portion was destroyed in the cyclone and Insurance would not cover replacement due to the roof not being originally replaced in full.  

Thanks to the Milford Foundations funding, secured through Rugby for Life, the first steps of returning the club to safety and service have begun. 

Rodney & Otamatea Region: Coordinated Care Across Five Clubs 

RFL Coordinator at the time: Lance Nepia 

Lance supported five clubs across the Rodney and Otamatea region: Otamatea Hawks, Tomarata, Eastern Kaiwaka, Maungaturoto, and Wellsford. His work as a Rugby for Life Coordinator strengthened all five communities. 

Cyclone Gabrielle’s damage here was far-reaching: 

• Lance’s home used to store newly donated gear and resources for the clubs was ravaged by floodwaters, destroying everything 

• Power and reception outages cut communication for over a week 

• Tomarata and Otamatea clubs opened doors as emergency shelters, hosting many displaced whānau 

• Shower and kitchen facilities were used by full communities, driving up utility costs 

• Clubrooms paid for everything out of pocket to help support their communities as community members were in no financial position to contribute 

Loss of brand new and used training gear, food, and power diminished the ability of these clubs to function post-disaster. But Lance didn’t give up. He worked club by club, alongside whānau, to stabilise services, ensure care, and use Milford Foundation’s funding to replace all the lost gear getting the clubs back on their feet and ready to participate in the game they love. 

Panguru and Motokohu Rugby Clubs: Sheltering Survivors, Saving Lives 

Storm surges, fallen trees, and collapsed infrastructure turned these rural centres into danger zones. Local rugby clubrooms quickly became the only places offering safe, equipped refuge. 

Club volunteers and Rugby for Life Coordinators: 

• Set up sleeping areas, kitchens and medical triage zones 

• Gave hot meals and showers to residents displaced from their homes 

• Purchased gas, emergency supplies, and cleaning products from limited club reserves 

• Worked tirelessly while dealing with their own flood damage 

These clubs already have limited funding and rely on community fundraising just to meet operational needs. The cost of emergency response added an enormous strain, financially and physically. 

Without support from Milford Foundation’s funding, facilitated by Rugby for Life Coordinators, these clubs would have struggled even more to get back on their feet. 

Why Every Club Deserves a Rugby for Life Coordinator 

These real-life case studies prove how valuable a Rugby for Life Coordinator is not just for managing the rugby season, but for managing real community challenges. 

In good times or bad, a coordinator turns a club into a home for its community. When disaster strikes, they turn it into a sanctuary. 

Your club could be next to benefit. Ready to talk about what a Rugby for Life Coordinator can bring to your club? 

Together, let’s build stronger, safer rugby clubs that stand tall - no matter the storm.