When faced with reduced work hours most people would look at their budgets and tighten their belts, but not Aomihi and Dick Cook. Instead, the East Coast couple set up a regular donation to the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust.

The couple has for 35 years traversed the highways and byways of the region as operators of Cook’s Passenger Courier Services, a critical connector for the region’s residents, manuhiri and businesses.

When their workload went from six days down to five (due to there being no more deliveries of The Gisborne Herald newspaper) they had time to go over their finances. But instead of cutting things out of their budget they added to it, setting up an automatic donation of $100 a month to help EHRT with its support of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter.

Based in Te Araora, Aomihi and Dick often hear the rescue helicopter from their home; they see it when they’re on the road; and both – especially former fire chief Dick – have engaged with the team as part of their work with the Te Araroa Volunteer Fire Brigade.

“The incredible service the team provides is very much appreciated by all of us Coasties and we know people in other parts of te Tairāwhiti feel the same,” says Aomihi.

“Setting up a regular donation from May until the end of the year is our way of saying ‘thanks for all you do . . . we value you’.”

Dick and Aomihi Cook (Ngati Porou) both grew up in Gisborne, living just across a paddock from each other in the outer Kaiti suburb of Tamarau.

They got together as high school students, married and in 1976 — when they were in their early 20s — moved to Te Araroa where Dick worked for 13 years as caretaker at Te Waha o Rerekohu Area School.

They had three sons – David, John and Keith, who have since given them 12 moko tuatahi (grandchildren) and five moko tuarua (great-grandchildren).

And by early 1989 the couple had decided to go into business, joining with the late Kingi and Rose Houkamau to establish the Matakaoa Passenger Courier Service.

However, the sheer size of the region was a challenge so they eventually split the routes, Kingi and Rose doing the run north to Opotiki while Dick and Aomihi ran from the coast south to Gisborne under their own name, Cook’s Passenger Courier Services.

“So this year we will have been 48 years married and 35 years in the business,” Aomihi says. “That’s a long time living and working together so it’s lucky we love each other!”

It’s not always been easy and Aomihi says times were certainly tricky during the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As an essential service we worked during those first four weeks of lockdown but, of course, we couldn’t have any passengers,” she says. “We would go to Gisborne to pick up groceries for whanau and also deliver newspapers, medicines and freight.”

If one of them got Covid – which they both did – they would stay in isolation while the other worked.

“At the time there was hardly anyone on State Highway 35, there wasn’t even anywhere for us to stop and get lunch, so it became very lonely.”

But the biggest challenges came in the wake of 2023’s Cyclone Gabrielle.

“It affected everyone along State Highway 35 and gave us all grief . . . the damage to our roads and bridges was unbelievable and we couldn’t work for a whole month.

“Even then the rescue helicopter team were here to help. They were always overhead bringing important medication to the community and just generally being a huge support.”

These days, with their new five-day routine, Aomihi does the Monday run, Dick does Tuesday-to-Thursday while she takes care of all the admin, and most Fridays they work together.

“It works for us and gives us a chance to get into town together once a week,” says Aomihi.

And while both have qualified for their “golden ticket”, they have no plans to retire just yet.

“After all this time we still absolutely love what we do,” Aomihi says. “It’s good for us, and it’s good to be able to provide this service for our people on the Coast.”

CAPTION: SUPPORT CREW: Living and working on the East Coast means Aomihi and Dick Cook see the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter in action even more than most. “(The service) is very much appreciated by all of us Coasties and we know people in other parts of te Tairāwhiti feel the same,” says Aomihi.