increase font size
A recent community-led event in Ruatoria provided aid for farmers and communities still grappling with the aftermath of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.
A recent community-led event in Ruatoria provided aid for farmers and communities still grappling with the aftermath of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.
Nine months after the two cyclones made landfall, rural communities along the East Coast are still working hard to bring some form of normality to their families, land and businesses.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Mātanga Whenua Māori advisor Pania King, in collaboration with the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), Ngāti Porou Runanganui and Oranga, and Indevin NZ led the East Coast community event in Ruatoria last week (10 November) for farmers and communities impacted by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle.
The event provided the resources needed to help with recovery from many sponsors to aid those facing challenges in the rebuilding process and also featured a barbecue kai, a bouncy castle, sweet treats, health checks, and specialist advice.
B+LNZ Mātanga Whenua Māori advisor, Pania King says it was important for this event to not only address the immediate needs but also the overall wellbeing of the community.
“We had over 200 impacted farmers and community members attend the event where we celebrated our resilience as a community whilst also acknowledging there is a lot of mahi still to be done,” says King.
“The event was driven from the ground up by wanting to offer real value and solutions to those in need. That’s why it was fantastic that we were able to offer tangible resources like fencing materials, floodgates, water pumps and water tanks.
“We are grateful to the sponsors who made it all possible and the behind-the-scenes team who worked so hard to make it happen,” she says.
The event was sponsored by B+LNZ, RRT Rapid Relief Team, Indevin NZ, NIWE, Ngāti Porou Runganui, Ngāti Porou Oranga, Coates Associates LTD, BDO Gisborne, Radio Ngāti Porou, Air Ruatoria, FMG, Ravensdown, Ballance Fertiliser, Fergus Rural, Headline Ballance st, Property Brokers, H Blackbee Contractors EC, PGG Wrightson, Thinkwater Gisborne.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
A large Māori-owned kiwifruit business that was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle has bounced back with a vengeance.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
A day after the ouster of PGG Wrightson’s chair and his deputy, the listed rural trader’s board has appointed John Nichol as the new independent chair.
Tributes are pouring in from across the political divide for former Prime Minister Jim Bolger who passed away, aged 90.
The iconic services building at National Fieldays' Mystery Creek site will be demolished to make way for a "contemporary replacement that better serves the needs of both the community and event organisers," says board chair Jenni Vernon.
Agri advisor Perrin Ag says its graduate recruitment programme continues to bring new talent into the agricultural sector.
Entries are open for the 2026 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA).
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…
