Sulendra Raju, 46 yo, is the owner of All In One Builders Company Ltd, in Papatoeto, New Zealand.
Raju, an Indo-Fijian immigrant, has lived in this community for more than 10 years.
He has been praised as a builder who stepped in to put tarpaulins on more than 60 homes that lost their roofs and windows after a tornado struck south Auckland.
Raju told Stuff.co.nz that he just wanted to lend a helping hand.
Auckland mayor Phil Goff has also praised Raju for his heroic efforts.
Raju and his team of 65 men have repaired damaged roofs, windows and fallen fences.
In the aftermath of the tornado, Raju immediately asked his wife to put up a post on Facebook, offering assistance to anyone affected.
“I left home, told the boys to load up the trucks with tarpaulins, nails, whatever building material we needed to do makeshift repairs. We didn’t know what sort of damages we would expect … it was the worst I’d ever seen from a weather event … we wanted to make sure that people didn’t suffer more damage to their properties.”
The Government and Auckland Council have pledged $200,000 to a relief fund to help those affected by the tornado.
