The Epic Move!
In late March a huge project kicks off involving 10 teams from ANZ over 2 weeks with Earthlink - a remarkable
organisation based in Taita, that recycles 'everything' and in the process provides employment to people with multiple
needs. They are moving warehouses and the army of ANZ volunteers will help them to fulfil the task.
This project has been brokered by Lyne Pringle the Employee Volunteering Co-ordinator and Volunteer Wellington.
She says 'When I first visited Earthlink I was completely blown away. It was like being on the set of a Mad Max Movie -
so much repurposing going on from the immense amount of 'stuff' that generally gets ends up in landfill.'
In late 2016 the team from ANZ that had won the Nikau Corporate Challenge in 2016, with their enormous Makara Peak
Blitz, approached Lyne for a project of equal scale.
'I had filed Earthlink away and when I heard from ANZ I realised that this would be a perfect match' says Lyne.
She invited ANZ project leaders, Melissa Middleton and Kriselle Smith, out for a site visit and to meet Earthlink
manager Shirley Cressy. They were totally sold on the idea and then convinced their wider team to take it on.
The project is now in full swing and due to be completed at the end of next week March 31st.
Lyne visited the site to film activities on Tuesday and spoke to participants who were getting stuck into a multitude of
tasks. One chap, who normally works finance, was on the end of a screwdriver breaking down a washing machine motor to
retrieve the copper inside. 'Having a ball', he said, 'so different from what I normally do'.
ends