Our local heroes

While most of us stay home, protected in our bubbles, they are out there working on the Covid-19 frontline. Rob Kidd reports on those who are risking their, and their families', health and safety for the rest of us. The Government will make a decision on Monday about where we go from here, the essential message is "stay home to save lives". 

A couple of months ago, celebrating medical staff and supermarket workers as community heroes in the same breath might have seem far-fetched.

These are curious times.

The Government’s response to the spread of Covid-19 has forced not only law-makers but the entire public to consider who is essential to our survival.

Suddenly those who stack shelves, the blokes in hi-vis vests who sling our rubbish into a truck and the overalls-and-gumboot-clad who unblock drains clogged with boulders of baby-wipes have come to the fore; alongside the traditional stars of the emergency services.

It is supermarkets that received most scrutiny early on — from panic buyers hoarding toilet rolls and hand sanitiser to physical violence erupting in stores.

New World Centre City grocery manager David Tuisaula has seen it all.

Like all heroes, he was humble when it came to the magnitude of his role in helping Dunedinites through this testing time.

"I don’t feel like a hero," he said.

"It’s the Kiwi way. Everyone who’s been working, or working from home, managing the household, we’re all heroes in a way. I’m just one of millions who’re making sacrifices for the safety of our people."

But Mr Tuisaula’s sacrifice is surely greater than most.

He made the "really difficult decision" to move out of the home he shares with his heavily pregnant wife Emma and his two sons to protect them, and moved in with his parents.

He video-chatted with his family every day but said it had been tough.

"[It] breaks my heart a little bit."

The workplace had changed rapidly since Level 4 restrictions came into play and he said it had been inspiring to see how staff had just got on with it.

A two-minute walk north through the city, it was a similar story.

Emergency department medical staff at Dunedin Hospital were poised for an influx of patients, should the worst-case scenario eventuate.

Doctor and consultant physician — and one of two Covid-19 response lead planners — Richard Stephenson said the overhaul to the way they worked had been dramatic.

"Right through the hospital, every different department has had to redesign — from the physical space, to staffing, to systems and procedures. The level of details that has had to be thought through is enormous," he said.

Despite the strain put on staff, going through the experience together had united them, Dr Stephenson said.

The department’s charge nurse manager, Janet Andrews, a mother of five, said there were many who were also missing out on family time. But the turbulent times had really pushed people to see their colleagues in a more personal light, she said.

Members of the public had also been keen to show their gratitude.

Before the lockdown began, one person brought in half-a-dozen large boxes of chocolates to keep spirits up, and it did not end there. People had been donating money through the hospital’s cafe so busy staff did not have to pay for their coffees during break times.

It was the small gestures that made a big difference, Dunedin ambulance officer Sandra Wilson said.

"You drive along and people on the footpath give you a thumbs-up; they give you a wave — it’s really nice."

Plumber Mike Croucher has had a reduced workload since restrictions came into force a couple of weeks ago, attending only jobs that could be considered essential such as burst pipes and gas leaks.

While it was intimidating working at such a time, there was "great job satisfaction" in helping housebound folk who needed it most, he said.