Chief Fire Officer Graeme 'Possum' Moffatt and the Te Anau Fire Brigade have received a Ngā Tohu Raukura (Symbol of Excellence) award from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), for going above and beyond for their firefighting community. 

Moffat is the creator of the K10 Te Anau programme, a wellbeing initiative run by the Te Anau Brigade that bring firefighters and emergency service workers in need to Te Anau, for a weekend of fun and relaxation free of charge. 

K10 is the firefighting code for recommissioning a vehicle, Moffat says, and the programme is focused on recommissioning the person and giving them a well-deserved break.

“I came up with the idea as I’ve gone through hard times myself, and I wanted to do something that would be helpful to people in the same situation, and in a bad space.”

“We’ve had people come who were there for the Christchurch Mosque attacks, people with stage 4 cancer. He had someone who had never been to the snow before, and we had the pleasure of getting him on a helicopter flight up to the snow. That’s what makes it worth it.”

Moffat says each trip to Te Anau is tailor made to the individual, and has previously included hunting trips, float plane rides and jet boating. 

He says the K10 programme relies on the generosity of local operators and accommodation providers, and he has been blown away by their support. 

“We are so lucky with the community we have here, it’s absolutely amazing. If we ask for anything, generally in 24 hours we have it.” 

“We have to give a shout out to Fiordland Lakeview Motel and Apartments and Radford’s on the Lake; we have used them a lot. Also, Fiordland Helicopters, Fiordland Jet and Wings and Water. Without them this couldn’t happen.” 

Hamish Angus, FENZ Group Manager – Northern Southland, was there to present the award. 

“This is a great commendation for Possum and the Brigade who have really demonstrated with K10 the core values that FENZ strive to uphold, both in themselves as a team but also for our wider emergency response counterparts who have benefited greatly from this initiative,” he says. 

“The fact that the Te Anau community has supported this to the degree that they have speaks volumes to how much they appreciate the Brigade and the work that they do.”