Now is the time for better infrastructure investment

Wilson is a fifth generation sheep and beef farmer in the district and was a former chair of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council. He's now on a number of other company boards.

He told Rural News that businesses operating in Tairawhiti are facing increased costs to get their products to market because of the poor and unpredictable state of the roading network. He believes if the roads were better, the price of products would be lower.

Wilson describes Cyclone Gabrielle as "hugely confronting", coming on the back of Covid and a series of uncertain years - including other storms.

"We've had two years of rain this year already," he told Rural News.

"My rain data shows that we have had at least 100mm of rain a month - sometimes more - which is well above our average rainfall. You just start to take a step forward and the quad bike is stuck in the mud again. Just after Gabrielle, we got another 100mm of rain and that broke the camel's back, up our valley."

However, six months on from Gabrielle, Wilson says the glass is starting to become half full again as the recovery progresses. He says while the grass is starting to grow, the district is still a bit wounded, bruised and battered, and there are still farmers struggling to get fences up and machinery on their farms.

"But I think there's a reset coming and that people will farm differently following what has happened as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle," he adds.

"We will all have a better appreciation of land classes in our business and those with any aversion of trees of any sorts might have to rethink how they do stuff."

Wilson says it's all about having viable, profitable and resilient businesses.

He's confident about the future, given the excellent young farmers coming through the system.