COMMUNITY FIRST

Queenstown has a strong sense of community, not necessarily expected from a resort town with a large, transient community of seasonal workers, says Gemma. A small but close-knit full-time population can make it easier to reach out a hand in support. The pandemic impacted many families in the area, which relies on international tourism, especially hard. These stresses often became apparent through the heightened behaviour of some of the children.

Gemma and Mike brought Lance Burdett of WARN ( Wellness, Awareness, Resilience & Negotiation) International from Auckland to run a workshop on resilience with Gemma’s team. The couple then facilitated a fundraising community evening (same topic) that night. Lance has since been back to deliver another free public event, which Gemma and Mike helped coordinate. The feedback has been tremendous, says Gemma. warninternational.com