Editorial: Testing times
OPINION: Our hearts go out to the farmers and rural communities in Southland and Otago who are battling an onslaught of adverse weather.
The funding comes from the Cyclone Recovery Capability Fund announced in Budget 2024.
“Councils have said they require additional expertise to speed up their priority recovery projects, and this funding enables exactly that,” Mitchell says.
He says the money will be distributed to 12 councils, for 50 separate initiatives which councils identified to help get faster outcomes for their communities.
“This includes additional geotechnical expertise to speed up decision-making on landslide-affected properties, as well as resources to accelerate roading recovery, bridge repairs and flood protection projects in affected regions,” Mitchell says.
“Recovery is an ongoing process, and we recognise councils are working hard to implement the necessary measures to support recovery in their communities,” he adds.
“We are committed to supporting our councils and communities as they continue to rebuild and recover from the devastating impacts of last year’s severe weather events.”
The announcement was welcomed by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, which allocated $2.18 million.
Regional Council chair Hinewai Ormbsy says the additional support will help speed up progress on the flood mitigation work already underway in partnership with Government.
“We know how important it is to our communities to have these flood mitigation projects completed as quickly as possible, and this additional funding should help us achieve that for them,” says Ormsby.
“We appreciate people in the affected communities of Wairoa, Whirinaki, Waiohiki, Omahu, Pākowhai and Pōrangahau who are waiting for these projects to be finished so they can have more certainty about the way forward. We hope this will help reassure them that we are doing everything we can to complete the projects as soon as possible.”
