Horticulture hit badly in Nelson/Tasman

She says the latest event just a few days ago resulted in significantly more impact not just in different areas but for additional growers and says the damage from this event was significantly worse.

She says there are reports that some growers have lost substantial areas of land that has just been swept away by the Motueka River.

"The sort of things we are seeing is a lot of silt and debris damage and what we are seeing is that it is not just the orchards and orchard structure that are affected. We are seeing sheds, houses, cool stores, packhouse and worker accommodation also damaged. To add to the problem adjacent infrastructure such as roads, bridges and stop banks have also suffered as a result of the disaster," she says.

Scott says while there is never a good time for such an event to occur, the fact that it wasn't at the key harvest time was somewhat of a blessing. But, she adds that the impacts of the floods are a bit of an unknown and it may be weeks, months and perhaps years until these are known.

She says orchardists and growers from Hawke's Bay which was hit by Cyclone Gabrielle have been very forthcoming in sharing their knowledge on how to deal with a similar situation.

"They learned ways of dealing with trees that were lying in degrees of water and silt and the risk of root rot and this knowledge will give Nelson Tasman growers the best shot at dealing with the crisis they are facing," she says.

While HortNZ is not the lead agency dealing with the recovery operation, Scott says they are playing a facilitation role, supporting growers and speaking to government on almost a daily basis to ensure they are fully aware of the extent of the crisis in the region.

She says they also have experienced staff on the ground in the region assessing local needs and making sure that growers have access to the range of services that can offer them help.

She, like others, believe it will take month and probably years before the region recovers from this disaster.