Our aim: Embedded in the scope of TelstraClear’s Corporate Citizenship is our response to natural disasters and civil emergencies. In response to the devastating 7.1 magnitude Christchurch earthquake, as well as our immediate priority to work with Civil Defence and essential service organisations to ensure critical communications infrastructure was upheld, we also embarked on a partnership with Save the Children, with matched Ministry of Social Development funding, to deliver reassurance support workshops for children, parents, teachers and carers. The workshops provided reassurance and guidance to assist children, through their parents and other carers, to readjust after the unsettling and stressful circumstance of the earthquake and ongoing aftershocks.
Our community partner: Save the Children New Zealand.
Our actions: TelstraClear and the Ministry of Social Development generously supported the provision of these workshops, along with contributions from Save the Children UK, Australia and the United States.
For the vast majority of children, recovery or readjustment, following an earthquake is a healing process that happens naturally, and without need for specialist help. This healing process is most effective when children are comforted by familiar routines, support each other, and are supported by those with whom they are familiar and whom they trust.
School, community, family, whānau, carers and teachers are the best placed to help children to readjust following the disruption and stresses they have experienced.
We also had the opportunity to bring the trained facilitators, who live in Christchurch, into TelstraClear’s Christchurch office to deliver the reassurance support workshops to our Managers and Leaders as well as directly to our 300 Christchurch employees, as part of our trauma and counselling response for our people.
This was important for us as an employer, in acknowledgement that many employees whom are also parents, teachers and carers, are working outside of their usual sphere of experience, and may also be experiencing the effects of material losses, stressful events and sleep deprivation themselves.
Our footprint: Save the Children has worked with the Ministry of Education to bring these workshops into Canterbury schools, and has provided ad-hoc services to other childrens organisations, such as Barnardos and the Salvation Army.
Our next steps: In the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, TelstraClear are committed to our people, and the children, families and communities in Christchurch to help in the transition back to normalcy. We generously contributed to the All Together Now! variety concert for Canterbury, with The Court Theatre, making all tickets free of charge. We also helped to organise a school holiday competition with Georgia Leddy and What Now in Kaiapoi, for children to pretty-up their port-a-loos and win some great prizes.
Save the Children is now evaluating their preparedness to best provide support for children in New Zealand following large scale emergencies.
Our corporate citizenship contact: For more info, contact Nicola Libeau, Corporate Citizenship Manager via citizenship@telstraclear.co.nz.
Anne McGregor 30°
Emma McIver 26°
Nick Hewlett 25°