This week marks the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle, which swept across the North Island and created nine regional states of emergency during February 2023.
Following on quickly from Cyclone Hale in January of that year, both adverse weather events caused significant damage to residential and farming properties, roads, bridges and communication services in eastern and coastal areas of Wairarapa.
Two years on from the cyclones, Wairarapa Recovery Office Programme Manager Simon Taylor said considerable progress had been made on recovery efforts by council teams, rural sector organisations, iwi, and government and community agencies working in the region.
“While the overall recovery process could take another three to five years, significant progress has been made to help address the immediate impact of the cyclones on individuals, whānau and communities. We would like to acknowledge the wide range of organisations that have actively contributed to the recovery effort and helped support people to get back on their feet and communities to recover.”
Mr Taylor said council teams and contractors are estimated to be the bulk of the way through repairs to roading and infrastructure depending on the district, with major damage largely repaired and outstanding work scheduled as part of ongoing maintenance programmes.
“The initial response to restore access to communities and follow-on work programmes have involved moving thousands of tonnes of slips on roads, repairing kilometres of drainage, and clearing existing and installing new culverts and retaining walls. Some of the work has utilised the latest innovations in roading to not only repair damage but also enhance the long-term resilience of the roads.
“Greater Wellington Regional Council’s (GWRC) blockage project has cleared around 74kms of river channels of debris and blockages resulting from Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. This has involved clearing more than 320 blockages caused by the cyclones.”
Mr Taylor said district councils and GWRC have also been working on flood resilience initiatives in key locations to address potential future issues, and on support options for individuals and groups for ongoing land management and farm environment initiatives.
Along with coordinating recovery efforts with councils and government, rural sector and community agencies, WRO has distributed over $400,000 of funding to support a range of initiatives in impacted areas.
“This has included funding to assist people still affected by the cyclones as well as grants and training for organisations working to support impacted individuals and communities.”
Mr Taylor said progress has been made on the voluntary buy-out and relocation programme for property owners in the Masterton district that had land categorised as being a risk to life from future flooding.
Under the funding programme, the Government and council each contribute 50 per cent of the cost of buying out these ‘Category 3’ properties after insurance, EQC, and other payments have been deducted. Some landowners also have the option of relocating their residential dwellings to another part of their property that is not Category 3 land.
“WRO has been working with eligible landowners on the options available to them under the programme. To date, a number of property purchase settlements have been completed, with discussions on other buy-out and relocation offers progressing.”
Mr Taylor said while substantial progress had been made on recovery initiatives since the cyclone, there were a number of people and businesses still affected with outstanding property damage, financial strain, and wellbeing impacts.
“Our thoughts are with those still impacted by both Cyclones Gabrielle and Hale. While the cyclones are just a memory for a lot of people, there are still a considerable number who are dealing with the after-effects. Recovering from a major emergency event such as the cyclones takes considerable time and ongoing support from the wider community.”
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