Fiona Sloan is a great-grandmother, former rugby coach and player, and also helps run Ngāti Moki Marae at Taumutu.
Sloan, 55, has worked at the marae for the past 23 years and has lived in the community for 30 years.
Her family has lived in the area for hundreds of years, and now Sloan lives in her grandmother’s house.
“It’s an awesome wee community. Everyone knows everyone, and a lot of the families have been here second third, fourth generations out here in our community,” Sloan said.
“My mum grew up out here with her brother and sister, myself, my sisters and my cousins were out here every school holiday.”
When she started at the marae her role was to provide council and Environment Canterbury with opinions on behalf of the marae for resource consents that affected it.
“You get to meet all sorts of people, make all sorts of connections.”
Sloan said her favourite part of the role was teaching the youth.
“I love interacting with the kids and giving them some memories.”
Sloan is also the Ngāi Tahu representative on the Department of Conservation’s kea recovery programme.
She has had plenty of experience with kids, spending 11 years, up to about 2018, coaching under 8s at the Southbridge club.
“When I started (coaching) I was one of six per cent of women coaches in New Zealand. By the time I’d finished, it had grown to about 20 per cent,” Sloan said.
Her coaching role came after playing for about 12 years and described herself as a ‘Jonah Lomu’.
“I could run fast and played on the wing. I was playing centre but tore my cartilage in my knee, so they chucked me out on the wing, and someone passed me the ball and I took off like lightning and got the nickname ‘Wheels’.”
She now spends her time travelling to markets with her arts and crafts which include display korowai (cloaks).
Since it started five years ago, the Darfield Food and Clothing Bank has gone from strength to strength with Rose Craven at the helm.
Craven has lived in Darfield for more than 20 years and five years ago she was asked by the then-operating Two Rivers Community Trust take on the job of operating the town’s foodbank.
“At the time I wasn’t employed so I was at a place where I could take on something like this. So I said ‘yes, I’ll do it’,” she said.
After taking on the role, Craven said the foodbank has continued to grow.
“We became vitally important to the community during the lockdown because we continued delivering.
“We had a lot of people who were isolated out in the country.”
Currently, the foodbank delivers about 80 food parcels a week.
Craven said she now supplies things other than food as well.
“Now we have our op shop and linen room, children’s room and adults’ room, kitchenware, and we continue to organise furniture for people in need,” Craven said.
Along with supplying those in need they also listen to people’s stories.
“There’s always more than just the need for food it can be mental health issues and budget mentoring needed so we try and point in them in the right direction.
“We’re also a listening ear so we do take the time to listen.”
Craven said the foodbank is kept well stocked with the help of donations, food drives from the fire brigades and help from local businesses.
She encouraged others to either donate food or volunteer their time at foodbanks in their community.
“I think it’s a great thing to get involved in. It’s a wonderful thing to have established in every community.
“I think there is a great need for it. There is a gap between WINZ (benefits) and people who are fully employed, and we are filling the gap at the moment,” Craven said.
Outside of the foodbank, Craven said she likes to get outdoors when she can.
“I like swimming, tramping, and kayaking and try and get away every six months.”
