An Ōamaru girl has been recognised for raising the alarm after she noticed her elderly neighbour hadn’t pulled her blinds one morning.

Ardgowan School deputy head girl Emma Shimauchi Moore, 11, says Ellen Lewis was like her “New Zealand grandmother”.

“Because my mum's Japanese, so my grandparents are in Japan.”

They had lived next door to each other since Emma was two and would see each other most days.

“She meant a lot to me,” she says. “I just felt like I could tell her anything really. So, yeah, she was very important to me.”

Ellen was an active 84-year-old who had just this year stopped delivering meals as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She loved to garden and kept herself busy.

So when Emma knocked on her door one morning last month, after her mother had gone to work, and there was no answer, it wasn’t unusual.  

“Sometimes that happens because she might be doing something, so I just left it . . . she wasn't there but the washing was out and the garage door was open, so I thought that's probably fine.”

Emma and her father Richard went out for a bit, and after lunch Emma went back to Ellen’s house and rang the doorbell again. There was still no answer, and Ellen wasn’t in her garden. 

“Then I realised her blinds were shut from her bedroom. That was a bit unusual, and the paper was still out by the mailbox, which was very unusual, so I came home and I told Dad.” 

Emma’s family had a spare key to Ellen’s house, because her adult son lives in Christchurch and her daughter in Wellington, and they appreciated their mother’s neighbours keeping an eye out for her.

Emma and her father went into Ellen’s house together and found her in her bedroom. She had suffered a massive stroke, and was unconscious.

Emma knew Ellen had a medical alert pendant, and activated it straight away. Help quickly arrived and Ellen was taken to Ōamaru Hospital where she was kept comfortable until her children could be with her. She died four days later.

Emma says it was “quite a scary day” but she was glad she listened to her gut when she felt something was wrong.

Ellen’s children were “really grateful”, Emma says. 

“They said they're very lucky that I was there and that I knew Ellen so well.”

Waitaki Neighbourhood Support coordinator Christine Dorsey says the world needs more people like Emma.

“What she did made a big difference to the family and enabled them to have four days of special family time together.”

At the request of Ellen’s son Craig, who wanted Emma’s actions to be officially recognised, she was presented with a special Good Neighbour Award at her school assembly last week, by Christine and Ōamaru Police.

The certificate awarded to Emma was "for being a perceptive and caring neighbour and friend, whose actions helped ensure someone received the care they needed. Your quick thinking and kindness made a big difference. You are a real community hero."

Craig says he and his sister will be forever grateful to Emma, both for what she did that day and for the friendship and care she provided Ellen over the years.

Sergeant Blair Wilkinson spoke to the school about the importance of being a good neighbour, and Ellen’s son Craig spoke about what a difference it had made for his family.

“It was a very emotional presentation - with a lot of staff reaching for the handkerchiefs,” Christine says.

Emma knew she was receiving the award, the police had checked with her beforehand to make sure she wasn't too embarrassed about it.

She says it was humbling to be recognised, and it felt good to know that she had helped.

Richard says it helped that Emma knew so much about Ellen. 

“When I went in, I found her, and I knew she had a Medical Alert, but I didn't know where it was. And, she (Emma) got it and set it off.”

He says this is a good lesson for people to be aware of their neighbours and keep an eye out for those around them.

“Even if you don’t know your neighbours, be aware of their activities, and if you notice something strange, let people know.”

A month after Ellen’s death, Emma says it feels like the reality of her not being there anymore is just starting to sink in.

“I just felt like I could really tell her anything and like, she listened when I talked and stuff like that, and I don't know, we just had that really strong bond."