Floods leave farmers washed out

Charlie Reynolds says flooding in his neck of the woods, west of Gisborne, had been “reasonably minimal”.

However, he told Rural News things were far less manageable up north, with over 1,000 hectares underwater in Tolaga Bay and woody debris coming down the Hikuwai and Mata rivers knocking out fencing.

Reynolds has been gathering information to help with organising the distribution of machinery for the clean-up, using his forestry connections as a liaison.

“At the moment there’s very limited access to some farms,” he says.

“But the Rural Connectivity Group has been here twice before and we know what we want to get done. We’re busy working with MSD, MPI and forest services to make sure the money is going to be spent in the most effective way possible.”

Along with the activation of Task Force Green providing government-sponsored help for the clean-up, the classification as a medium scale weather event has unlocked government funding for farmers and growers.

However, Reynolds told Rural News that the Rural Support Trust funding of $100,000 for Task Force Green employing people to clear up the mess can’t be utilised until machinery to remove all the slash and silt has arrived.

“Transport’s horribly expensive; roads are being cleared but we’re still waiting for a few reports from engineers concerning bridges to make sure we can actually safely carry machines. What we need is infrastructure.”

One of the major images from the flooding in Gisborne is the sight of piles of forestry debris sweeping down city streets and rivers. Reynolds says that in the past, small harvest consent windows for forestry led to a hard and fast approach that meant foresters didn’t have time to do things properly.

“It’s hard to deny there’s been a lot of slash come down,” he adds. “We don’t know yet if it’s from the 2018 event, possibly still just stuck upstream, and then this level of water was enough to pick it up and bring it back down. We’re in a wait-and-see moment.”

But Reynolds believes now with longer (up to 25 years) consenting processes, forestry engages in more sustainable “mosaic harvesting”, harvesting small blocks, replanting then moving around the country before returning years later, allowing for stronger soil and more trees to catch washout in terms of a flood.

This is the third time in five years the Gisborne region has been hit by severe flooding. Each time there have been significant clean-up efforts, but the inability to clear everything has meant each successive flood brings just a little bit more debris with it.

“We’re stressed because it’s going to happen again; everyone gets upset and wants to point fingers and find who’s to blame,” Reynolds adds. “The tiring part is we don’t know who’s to blame or where it’s (the debris) from.”

“Having mental health support is going to be crucial over the next few months,” he adds. “People are physically exhausted and mentally shattered.”

Reynolds points to squash farmers who have a once-a-year pay cheque, which they won’t get this year with their crops underwater.

When this interview was conducted on January 18, Reynolds said there was the possibility of a storm in the region overnight.

“If we dodge that we should be able to start moving into a recovery phase by Monday (Jan 23), but if it does come through, we may be backpedalling for another week or two.”

However, with the last predicted storm failing to meet expectations, the recovery for Gisborne looks set to continue – albeit slowly.

Banks Step Up

Part of the effort to provide support for people of the Gisborne region includes financial aid.

ANZ, BNZ, Westpac and Rabobank have all released assistance packages for customers, which may include such provisions as deferrals of loan repayments, and overdraft facilities (depending on provider and individual needs).

From a government perspective, Inland Revenue has activated an Adverse Income Equalisation Scheme, allowing farming and forestry businesses to avoid income fluctuations by spreading out gross income from year to year.