“You can have it, mate.”
By Linda Hall for Local Democracy Reporting
Businessman Jeremy Hanaray’s act of generosity has warmed the heart of Hastings’ mayor, who says it’s exactly what the cyclone-recovering city is all about.
Because Hanaray has not given away something small.
He’s gifted a two-flat, stucco house to the family of one of his long-standing customers who lost their home in Cyclone Gabrielle.
For years, Hanaray had the rental property right beside his Hastings CBD hunting and fishing shop Rivers to Ranges in Nelson St North, Hastings.
He said he had been thinking about removing the 80-year-old home from the site for a long time.
Tenants occasionally caused him issues and he thought it would be valuable to create a car park for the shop.
“We put brand new carpet in, and it was destroyed. After that, I’d had enough.”
What began as a decision to get rid of the property soon turned into something much more meaningful.
Hanaray was chatting with a long-standing customer earlier this year when he casually asked, “You’re not in need of a property, are you, mate?”
The customer replied: “Jeremy, actually I am.”
“And I said, ‘Well, see that house that’s in front of you there, you can have it, mate’.
“‘Oh, bro’ he said to me; ‘I knew I needed to come and see you today for some reason, and it wasn’t just to buy ammo’.”
Preparations for the move began on in April.
Sadly in August, before the move could take place, the customer passed away.
Hanaray and the man’s wife and family, who paid for the moving costs, all continued with the project, and on Monday night the house was relocated to their new site in Omāhu.
Brittons House Movers Hawke’s Bay branch manager Elwyn Fryer said the move went “super smoothly”.
“It was on site overnight on Monday, our guys put the piles in place on Tuesday and it was lowered down on Wednesday ready for the family to start renovations,” Fryer said.
Hastings Mayor Wendy Schollum said the move was a reminder that cyclone recovery was far from over for some families.
Omāhu bore the full force of Cyclone Gabrielle, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate as homes, the local marae, and burial sites were damaged or left submerged by floodwaters.
“More than three years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, there are still families working to rebuild their lives and find their way back into a home.
“Council is also continuing to repair and rebuild roads, bridges and infrastructure across our district. Recovery is still very real for many people.
“What makes this so special is the generosity of one family helping another.
“It’s a wonderful example of the way people across Hastings have looked after each other since the cyclone.
“I wish the family all the very best as they make this house their home.”
Hanaray is now excited to have a car park for his customers.
“We don’t want people walking too far with firearms. I’ve been wanting to do this for years.
“It’s just sad that my mate isn’t here to see the final results.”
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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