St John's Health Shuttle
Hi everyone
I just want to send out a shout out to the folk who organise and run the St John's Health Shuttle in North Canterbury. I'm in my forties and due to a heart condition have been unable to drive for three months. The Health shuttle has been a wonderful service with great volunteers I have been able to fall back on when friends have been unavailable to get me to medical appointments. They go above and beyond with door to door service (so no parking hassles) one way or both directions as needed, from Amberley south to Christchurch and everywhere in between. I have used them to get to radiology appointments as well as hospital appointments and they will take people to local appointments too; they also do post-hospital stay pick-ups. I have observed volunteers actually take passengers into their appointments in wheelchairs (as appropriate) to ensure safe handover to medical staff and to ensure the best care for passengers. In return they just ask for a donation to contribute towards petrol but this does not need to be paid on the day of use if you are financially challenged or using them frequently. You book by 2pm the previous day needed through North Canterbury Citizen's Advice Bureau but would recommend you book earlier as there are limited seats and they only run if they have bookings. Depending on passengers' appointments there may be waiting time but the one time this happened to me meant having a coffee at South City and getting some shopping done while there, so no great hardship. It would be great to think the word of this service could be spread so please share this post with friends and family.
Poll: Should employees be able to work from home?
At the post-Cabinet press conference, the National Party asserted they want public sector staff to return to the office. This has opened a conversation about other sectors in New Zealand who have adopted working from home (WFH).
Where possible, do you think employees should be able to work from home? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comments.
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70.1% Yes
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26.8% No
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3.1% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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