Firewood Sale Helps Plug Charity’s Funding Hole

Wednesday, 7 May 2025, 7:20 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

Nelson and Tasman households can get their hands on cheap firewood at two council-led charity firewood days this year, but tickets to the first event are selling fast.

This weekend, Tasman District Council will sell 200 trailer loads of dry firewood ahead of the cold winter months, thanks to the support of its forestry contractor PF Olsen, as well as Steve Thompson Ltd and Downer.

To get a load, district residents must buy a ticket for $100 but just over three quarters have been sold as of Monday. Tickets can be bought at the Richmond or Motueka council service centres.

Tickets were introduced to 2024’s Firewood Charity Day after 2023’s free-for-all event generated a 6km traffic jam, and ticketholders will be required to show up at a specific time on Saturday to limit traffic impacts.

All proceeds from this week’s event – about $20,000 total – will go to two local organisations: the Nelson Tasman Hospice, which provides palliative care to patients and whānau, and Whakatū Refuge, which supports women and children affected by domestic violence.

Ana Fierek, marketing and engagement lead at the Nelson Tasman Hospice, said the support “means a lot” to the organisation.

The funds raised would go towards filling its “huge” annual $4 million shortfall.

Donations, bequests, funds from local Hospice shops, and the “amazing” biennial Dancing for a Cause event help to plug the financial hole, but it was “never a given” the Hospice would raise enough, Fierek said.

“It gets harder every year,” she said.

“The shortfall grows with the need and the costs of everything going up… We’re so thankful for the myriad of ways the community always supports us.”

The Hospice cares for 210 patients across Nelson Tasman, including as far afield as Golden Bay and Murchison.

“All the money raised here, stays here and looks after local patients and families.”

A Whakatū Refuge spokesperson said the organisation was “grateful” to be included as a recipient of the donations.

“We have watched this Charity Firewood Day develop over the last two years and commend the TDC and PF Olsen for working together in these tough economic times to offer such great access to affordable firewood.

“This donation will be put to good use ensuring women and children in need stay safe.”

October 2025 will also see the return of cheap firewood sales targeted to families in need, as took place the year prior.

The 2024 event was coordinated by the Fifeshire Foundation and saw $25 tickets sold for firewood that will be ready to use this winter.

Fifeshire Foundation executive officer Shanine Hermsen said she was grateful to keep up the event with Tasman District Council, which she described as a “great partnership”.

Last year’s “spectacular” event saw 142 loads of firewood bought cheaply by low-income families.

About $3600 raised from the ticket sales also contributed to the foundation’s winter grants, which opened last week.

Those grants last year saw about $80,000 spent on loads of firewood or direct power bill payments for struggling locals.

“It’s hard to say what the demand will be this year, but I suspect it will be up there, and it’s harder and harder for families. It’s great that we can help out in this way,” Hermsen said.

“We’re seeing more and more people coming to us for our monthly grants that are struggling to get by.”

The foundation’s typical clientele was changing, with more two-income families needing help than there have been historically.

If residents wanted to help, Hermsen recommended that recipients of the Government’s Winter Energy Payment who didn’t need it, pay it forward to those who did, which the Fifeshire Foundation facilitated.

Alternatively, the foundation took donations both financial and in firewood, and often needed volunteers for events.

The publicity of last year’s firewood event encouraged a forestry operator to donate firewood to the foundation, which was being chopped up by the local Menzshed.

“There’s heaps of cool things … that have happened since then because of that drive we did, which is pretty neat,” Hermsen said.

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