This article was first published by RNZ.
The tragic deaths of three East Coast fishermen has sparked an outpouring of support from the fishing community across Aotearoa.
Elwood Higgins, Taina Sinoti and Damien Macpherson, who were all members of Gisborne’s Tatapouri Fishing Club, failed to return from a fishing trip on Monday 24 June.
After a complex search operation hampered by atrocious weather, their bodies were found on the Māhia coastline two days later.
Everyone in the fishing community had been affected by the tragedy and were doing all they could to show their support, Tatapouri Fishing Club president Roger Faber said.
On Wednesday night, Whakatāne Fishing Club representatives made the trip to the Gisborne club and presented a cheque for $20,000 to donate to the whānau of the three men.
The money was raised from a tuna tournament that the Whakatāne club was due to run a few days after the men died, Faber said.
“The committee sorta wondered whether to go ahead and have the contest under the circumstances or not, but decided to go ahead with it, but make it sort of a fundraiser for the families from the tragedy.”
The winner of the competition donated some of his winnings to the families, too.
Faber said that was just one of many instances of kindness.
“The event has touched the whole fishing community throughout New Zealand and all the clubs seems to be doing something in different forms.
“We’re getting emails from them all asking for our bank accounts and things, to put money in to support the families ... it’s been awesome.”
Givealittle fundraising webpages were set up for each family, and the club set up its own one that would be split up.
Across those more than $380,000 had been raised so far, he said.
But something else had come from the heartache - a wake-up call about safety.
“It has really put a huge focus on safety, and everyone’s really, really getting behind that,” he said.
Tatapouri Fishing Club would soon be running a safety day, including equipment suppliers demonstrating the latest in safety gear, and education from Coastguard and Eastland Helicopter Rescue.
- RNZ