Organisers of an annual Daffodil Day stock drive have praised the generosity of farmers who collectively donated hundreds of animals during a tough period for the sector.
The 26th PGG Wrightson-ANZ Annual Daffodil Day Sheep Drive held at the Matawhero Saleyards near Gisborne on August 30 raised about $55,000 for the Cancer Society.
It will go towards providing essential services and support for cancer patients in the region.
Former ANZ rural banker Andrew Woolfield dreamed up the idea, and over the past 26 years more than 8000 sheep have been donated and more than $1 million has been raised for the Cancer Society.
“Many, many people give their time to this event,” Woolfield said. “It’s a very collaborative effort. Everyone does their little bit and we get a really good result out of that.”
About 370 sheep were donated by farmers this year — 350 at the event and another 20 or so afterwards. The farmers came from throughout the region to donate despite challenging times in the rural sector.
The ongoing impact of storms and cyclones last year, the subsequent recovery and poor pricing for sheep have contributed to a tough 12 months for sheep and beef farmers.
“It’s a tremendous community,” Woolfield said. “There’s been a lot of natural disasters and things in recent years, and every time something happens, they just seem to pull together. They don’t want any great recognition or anything. They just get on and do that job — that’s just part of this community here.”
ANZ agri relationship associate Michelle Hawea, who took over organising the event from Woolfield after his retirement in 2020, expressed her gratitude for the continued support.
“Our rural community here are so generous,” Hawea said. “They support each other and they really stand up when they need to, even though it’s not the easiest time for this community, which was smashed around so much by weather events in 2023.
“It’s hugely satisfying to know that one day if someone that I love dearly needs support from the Cancer Society, it will still be there and still be going and that we’ve done something to contribute towards that.”
PGG Wrightson East Coast regional livestock manager Jamie Hayward said his team were happy with the prices on the day.
“The last couple of years we’ve had a good number of sheep. However, the prices have been flat, so $55k raised this year is fantastic, and we still have a few other stock donations coming.
“I think the main reason the locals all get behind it is because the money stays local — everyone’s been affected in some way.”
Gisborne East Coast Cancer Society fundraising and events co-ordinator Shay Podjursky said the outcome was “phenomenal”.
“The impact that has on our community is massive. It allows us to help cancer clients and their whānau access treatment out of town. It helps us provide free counselling, massage therapy, art therapy, a whole lot of education around cancer prevention, and it also allows us to contribute to the Cancer Research Fund.
“Our rural community is amazing,” Podjursky said. “The last couple of years have been a bit difficult with the cyclone. We’re still bouncing back and yet here they are doing another massive donation.”
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