How a man from Botswana is clearing East Coast cyclone slash and creating jobs
Our story all began with an idea. We wanted to launch a business, to help regenerate our whenua
And it all started with Edmund Hillary Fellow and social entrepreneur Thabiso Mashaba when he arrived in Tolaga Bay from Botswana just after Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
"I literally went down to the beach because I come from a desert and I was excited to see the beach, only to find a lot of slash on the beach," he said.
"We thought about what is the best way to deal with it but deal with it in a way that would probably create some employment for the community members," he said.
And he landed on slash for cash. He used skills he learned in Botswana to turn the woody debris littering Tairawhiti beaches into charcoal briquettes and fertilizer.
Meet the team
Our Founding Members
L-R (Standing)
Paul Tekahu (based in Wairoa) | Matene Maraki (based in Gisborne) | Thabiso Mashaba (based in Uawa) | Pane Kawhia (based in Ruatoria)
L-R (Kneeling)
Kyrah Dewes (based in Tikitiki) | Hine Aio Apatari (based in Wairoa)
