A time to grieve – and a website to help


“All New Zealanders are grieving the damage and losses caused by the Bay of Plenty Oil Spill disaster, but none more so than those residents and businesses of that region – and their children and young people as well,” says Bice Awan, Chief Executive of Skylight, New Zealand’s leading specialist grief and trauma support agency.

“Grief is a very normal human response to such a disaster and it won’t all be about sadness – anger and fear can be a significant part of grief as well,” says Ms Awan.

“Witnessing the oil spillage first hand, and personally experiencing its effects, will affect people differently. Many are likely to need extra support from friends, family, whanau and workmates as they deal with their grief and distress. For some this is already meaning a loss of a livelihood and big changes in the way they can live their lives.”

To provide hope and support Skylight has launched a web page. It offers useful information and activities for all ages specific to the oil spill recovery. Its goal is to assist people to build their resilience to come through this time as well as possible.

The website includes links to material developed in the Gulf of Mexico USA after what was learned from their 2010 oil spill.

Skylight’s home page links directly to the Oil Spill Support Page – see www.skylight.org.nz

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