Wairoa Mayor: Road upgrades between Napier and Wairoa will boost safety and accessibility
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The small east coast township of Wairoa is still waiting for an apology from the Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC) following the devastating floods which hit the town in June and damaged hundreds of houses.
While the damage was mainly in the town, the floods also affected services to the large farming hinterland.
The people of Wairoa have blamed inaction by HBRC for the disaster and feelings against the regional council are still running high in the township.
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little told Rural News that people in the town still don't feel the council is listening to them.
He says HBRC haven't admitted they have done anything wrong and therein lies the problem.
"When you have done something wrong you have to acknowledge that and then talk to the people you have really hurt and who are suffering - and they haven't done that yet.
"So, they must start looking at themselves and start dealing fairly and honestly with the people in our community and they haven't done that," he says.
Little's comments follow the release of an independent report by former Police Commissioner Mike Bush about what happened during the floods.
He says the town was already grieving the damage wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle and adds that the somewhat sinister river mouth looms over the town.
Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne says their joint venture with Alliance Group will create “a dynamic industry competitor”.
Tributes have flowed following the death of former Prime Minister and political and business leader, Jim Bolger. He was 90.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
Farmer shareholders of meat processor Alliance have voted in favour of a proposed $270 million joint venture investment by Irish company, Dawn Meats.
The former chair of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and farmer, Doug Leeder, says rural communities' biggest fear right now is the lack of long-term certainty over environmental regulations.
New Zealand First leader and Foreign Minister Winston Peters is ratcheting up pressure on Fonterra farmers as they vote on divesting the co-operative’s consumer and related businesses.
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