Supporting recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle

Boffa Miskell has donated to the Red Cross New Zealand Disaster Fund to assist their ongoing work in the communities that have been affected by the recent weather events.

A shared morning tea and fund-raising efforts across all nine offices last week, with employee contributions matched by the company, resulted in a $5,500 total. Additionally, the Boffa Miskell Board approved a further payment of $25,000; making the final donation just over $30,000.

“The generosity expressed by our people was remarkable, though not surprising,” says chief executive Kerry Gupwell, “and the Board was very happy to match and further add to those contributions on behalf of the company.”

“The whakataukī on our business cards says, ‘many strands together will stand strong’,” Kerry continues. “We very much wanted to put our values into action at a time when our fellow Kiwis need those ‘many strands together’ to help recover from the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Our whakataukī is adapted from an original proverb attributed to Tāwhiao of Ngāti Mahuta and Waikato Tainui – the second Māori King of the Kīngitanga.

Kotahi te aho ka whati; ki te kāpuia e kore e whati

One strand of flax is easy to break, but many strands together will stand strong.

“Essentially the whakataukī is about unity and working together,” Kerry says. “It’s an important theme in many Māori proverbs; and critical in achieving our collective goals. It’s a powerful reminder of the strength we have when we move forward together.”