Wednesday, 30 August 2023 08:55

Unhelpful politics

Written by  Peter Burke
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says the succession of Recovery Ministers who have resigned or left has not made his life easy.

In the middle of a crisis, gone are Meka Whaitiri, Stuart Nash and Kiri Allen. The latter Little describes as a wonderful lady who was most helpful. He says not having someone to ring for help from has made life harder for him.

"We have had good relations with Ministers but sometimes I feel the voice of Hawke's Bay gets drowned out," he says.

On the positive side, Little says Kieran McAnulty in his roles as Minister of Local Government, Emergency Management and Rural Communities has been good. He describes him as being very approachable but adds that he's a 'busy boy'.

Little says regardless of who wins the election, it will take time for any new Minister to come to grips with the issues the district is facing. He'd like the Wairoa District Council to have the authority to deal with flood protection because he believes they can get it done quickly and cost effectively.

More like this

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.

Iwi eyes hort for progress

A post settlement treaty organisation in Wairoa is banking on horticulture to boost employment and income for its people.

Gun-shy

OPINION: Listening to the hysterical reportage of gun law reforms being pushed through by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee, your old mate wrongly asumed the Minister must be planning to hand out free AK-47s.

Farmer woes

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says things are still not back to normal for farmers in his district and they are still suffering from problems caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Seeking apology

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.

Featured

Better animal genetic gain system

A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.

SIDE 2025's new schedule, venue

Annual farmer gathering, the South Island Dairy Event (SIDE), is set to make history as it heads to Timaru for the first time.

Taranaki piggery goes solar

Installing 400 solar panels at their Taranaki piggery and cropping operation will have significant environmental, financial and animal welfare benefits for the Stanley family.

Editorial: Keep FTAs coming

OPINION: The dairy industry will  be a major beneficiary of a new free trade deal between NZ and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

National

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter