Wairoa flood review findings released
A review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has found the flood was caused by a combination of factors leading to the river backing up and overflowing.
Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell says the Mayoral Fund has been triggered, activating $300,000 for regional recovery after severe weather hit the East Coast this week.
$100,000 each will be given to the Wairoa, Gisborne and Hastings District Councils as part of the initial response.
Speaking from the Haumoana Fire Station, Mitchell acknowledged the work of Mayors and first responders in the East Coast region.
“They have responded quickly, they have stood up the teams… the police evacuated over 200 homes last night here in Haumoana.”
While Mitchell says he hasn’t yet seen the state the storm has left Wairoa in, he understands that the community south of the Wairoa bridge have been hard this time. This is largely due to 6m swells.
“Once I’m on the ground, I’ll be able to get around and visualize and see exactly what the damage is but the reports are they’ve definitely got damage there,” he says.
“It’s pretty catastrophic for them, they continue to get hit so getting up there is my priority.”
Meanwhile, Hawke’s Bay Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst says she wants to acknowledge the community and those who stood up the emergency hub as part of the community civil defence response.
“It’s fair to say they’ve done an amazing job and [I’m] incredibly grateful to everyone’s support,” Hazlehurst says.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says while people are opening about mental health, there’s still disproportionately high rates of suicide and depression in rural communities.
Skewed policy, favouring forestry over farming, should be blamed for Alliance Group’s proposal to close its Timaru meatworks, says Federated Farmers.
FIL has launched a new online survey to gain valuable insights into the challenges dairy farmers face in meeting their milk quality and mastitis prevention goals.
Alliance Group has announced a proposal to close its Smithfield meat processing plant in Timaru, South Canterbury.
Lambing is now well advanced around much of New Zealand, including in areas where drought-like conditions are presenting real challenges for farmers, on top of a poor run of prices for their product.
A new trade agreement between New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could boost New Zealand’s halal meat exports.
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