“Gisborne clients were supplied through our Hawke’s Bay branch but after Cyclone Gabrielle, transport links were cut off so the Rotorua team made sure there was food and water coming into the district as soon as possible,” says Bidfood’s Gisborne account manager Haley Cox.

“As a result we are now permanently aligned with the Rotorua branch, and we well remember that difficult time when there was so much good work done by the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team.”

Bidfood directs support via its client, The Vines, which caters for the Bayleys Charity Auction . . . the biggest annual event on EHRT’s fundraising calendar.

“We’ve supported the event with product in past years but 2024 was our biggest, with every menu item we supplied being free,” says Haley, who regularly hears the rescue helicopter overhead as the team flies to East Coast emergencies.

And Bidfood Rotorua general manager Scott Green says the decision to continue – and increase – the support founded by the Hawke’s Bay branch was an easy one.

“We’re stoked to join the other amazing people in and around Gisborne who get behind this fantastic cause,” he says.

“Such support strengthens our communities in so many ways and we are so pleased to be a part of that.”

The thousands of dollars worth of product supplied for this year’s auction ranged from salmon, smoked lamb rump and smoked chicken to polenta, nuts, dried fruits and specialist cheeses.

“The food for our gala auction is a crucial part of its success and we always want to present a menu we are proud of,” says EHRT chair Ian Parker.

“But that doesn’t come cheap so Bidfood’s contribution helps us keep costs down and, in doing so, keep our fundraising tally up to support the fantastic Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team.”

CAPTION: GREAT TASTE: Bidfood account managers Haley Cox (Gisborne, left)) and Lillie Larkin (Gisborne/East Coast) worked to source top quality menu items for Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust’s annual Bayleys Charity Auction dinner . . . and the company supplied them for free to support the work of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team.