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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.
Nearly three years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke's Bay apple orchardist Paul Paynter says they are still doing remedial work around their orchards and facing financial challenges.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
For more than 50 years, Waireka Research Station at New Plymouth has been a hub for globally important trials of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides, carried out on 16ha of orderly flat plots hedged for protection against the strong winds that sweep in from New Zealand’s west coast.
There's a special sort of energy at the East Coast Farming Expo, especially when it comes to youth.
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