Christchurch

It's a tough time to be a Kiwi, even if you're not in Christchurch (and how tough it is for those people just isn't imagineable). I'm spending half the day in tears watching the news, wishing there was more I could to help ... ANYTHING I could do in a practical sense to help, while wondering why I didn't do something sensible like train as a nurse instead of becoming a writer.

All I've been able to do so far is check on the couple of people I know in Christchurch (they're okay), donate to the Red Cross, and list a couple of bedrooms on TradeMe should anyone need or want to get out of Christchurch for a few days or weeks. It's not enough, and yet we know that more direct 'assistance' only causes more problems for everyone.

But boy oh boy, just how much is being done to solve all those problems - as many problems as possible, at once, in circumstances beyond the most horrific of our nightmares. And the half-a-day I'm not glued to the screen, sobbing, I am spending feeling incredibly, enormously proud of this wonderful nation, and so honoured and humbled to be able to count myself as a New Zealander (oh man, I'm crying again).

There are so many people doing so many wonderful things, it's hard to single anyone out, but my special hero awards would go to:

Bob Parker, Christchurch's mayor. He's been a tower of strength, a true leader, an eloquent, persuasive and reassuring communicator. Bob Parker for PM. Bob Parker for President. Bob Parker for head of the UN, and if in the meantime he could adopt me I'd be very grateful.

Joy Reid. This young reporter (and I was amazed how young she was when I saw rather than heard her reports) was on the spot in the minutes after the quake had struck. With her own home in dubious condition, not knowing about her own family and friends' safety, she poured forth a continuous stream of incredible description, filling in details as she went along without pause, showing the world what was happening to her home town. Brilliant.

The Rangiora Earthquake Express - neighbouring towns amassing water and sausages and comfort in their public carparks and then ferrying it through the buckled Cantabrian landscape to press it into the hands of people in the Christchurch suburbs, even drafting in chopper pilots to get to those who are unreachable by other means. I guess they're doing what we'd all like to be doing - making a difference, being human, bringing what's needed. But they're not just talking about it; they're doing it.

The Student Army. 12000, no, 135000, no - 15000 students who have used Facebook to great, to the best effect and gathered themselves into a massive, youthful, able and willing volunteer labour force. And they're not hanging around waiting to be organised - they're out there with buckets and wheelbarrows, digging up silt from the roads and, I'm sure, just improving the spirits of everyone around with their vigour and big open hearts. We have a lot to say about students and youths, not much of it good, but these are great, great people.

So these are people doing stuff. Doing amazing stuff, alongside Search and Rescue and the armed forces and the Red Cross and the police/fire/ambulance and the medical teams and the people manning the welfare centres. Doing what they can. Doing it brilliantly.

So if all we can give is money, then we have to do it. It might just mean that one of these wonderful, wonderful people can go that bit further, and we will be making a difference. Go to www.redcross.org.nz/donate.