Recovery a long journey for region

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Farmer surveys showing that estimated on-farm damages as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle stand at $80 million are another dramatic sign of the long, hard recovery this region faces.

Fence damage is a major part of the costs, with thousands of kilometres of fencelines destroyed by slips and flooding caused by the cyclone. Many farmers also have on-farm as well as off-farm access issues due to bridges taken out by debris-laden floodwaters, and landslides taking out roads and farm tracks.

At least 6000 hectares of farmland on the East Coast has suffered damage, with repairs there estimated at $30m-$40m so far.

Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou did its own damage assessment survey led by agribusiness manager Hilton Collier and Beef and Lamb NZ's Pania King.

They estimated that it could take three to five years to reinstate fencing, clear slash and debris and regrass and reinstate tracks on some of the worst-hit farms.

East Coast farmers had also found their waterways have riverbeds about two metres higher as a result of Gabrielle, increasing the risk of future flooding.

One of the main immediate priorities is to remove surplus stock off farms ahead of winter. This is complicated by road damage, with many inland farms likely to be unreachable by stock trucks for some time yet.

Fixing the district's roading network is probably the biggest challenge for the regional economy, and the council. Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency has a massive task on its hands reconnecting the state highway network.

State Highway 35 is closed between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay while work continues on the Hikuwai No.1 bridge bypass. SH35 has been marginal for some years now and remains under threat at a number of locations. Coast residents and Waka Kotahi will be eyeing the coming winter with trepidation.

The main road south beyond Wairoa is expected to remain closed for three more months.

Gisborne City still has a water crisis until the main municipal supply can be restored, which should be by the end of this month.

Gisborne District Council has approved a set of estimates that will need some heavy doctoring as they largely predate the cyclones.

Using a boxing term, the one-two punches from Cyclone Hale then Cyclone Gabrielle has the district on the ropes. We will be feeling their impact for years.