Room for optimism after difficult year

Cyclones Gabrielle and Hale played a huge part in defining the 2023 year for the region’s farmers, horticulturists and growers and it has been a very tough year for so many of them. The images of damaged pasture and crops will live on in the memory as the rehabilitation of the region’s primary sector continues. File picture

by Hunaara Waerehu

President Gisborne-Wairoa Federated Farmers

Tairāwhiti farmers have faced significant challenges in the past 12 months, including but not limited to the impacts from both Cyclone Hale and Cyclone Gabrielle, and more challenges to come. However, there are things we should be optimistic about.

The two cyclonic events devastated our region, leaving a landscape strewn with woody debris, erosion and heavily sedimented flats.

Communities being cut off from the rest of the world due to severe damage on our basic infrastructure has also put a heavy emotional toll on whānau, especially our farming whānau who live in isolated areas.

Work on the recovery will take some time and we should not underestimate the cost, effort and time required to do this.

There’s an irony that forecasters are warning our farmers to expect an El Nino summer while we are still working to repair the damage of Gabrielle.

Hopefully, the unexpected rainfall we have had during the past two months does enough to counter any risk of weather conditions turning dry.

However, farmers should still remain vigilant, and prepare adequately as we continue to see rapidly changing weather impacts caused by the rise of ocean temperatures, due partly to our rapidly changing climate.

As if the weather hasn’t been hard enough, farmers are dealing with falling market returns, especially for sheep meats which have fallen about 35 percent, and farming input costs rising faster than other areas of the economy.

Continued high interest rates adds to a high cost of living for farmers and their whānau.

At a time when farmers need to fund the recovery and cover the costs of lost production, interest rate rises are adding greater uncertainty.

There is optimism that the new government might work to reduce the red tape that threatens to strangle farming.

We understand the importance of caring for the land.

We just do not want to be strangled by paperwork with uncertain outcomes.

A survey conducted by Federated Farmers this year revealed that an overwhelming majority of New Zealanders support our farmers and value our contribution to our economy and society.

We are not alone.

Farming is the single largest land use in Tairāwhiti and will remain so for the future.

Farmers should be recognised for their contribution to the regional economy.

They buy local goods and services, employ locals and many have products processed locally.

That all enhances the mana of our regional economy.

During the cyclone response we have seen the good in our community, various industry groups, organisations, iwi and hapū, central and local government,  community advocates all coming together to help one another.

Neighbour to neighbour, farmer to farmer, tangata ki te tangata.

That wairua (spirit), and the power and the mana in that, should continue to guide us as we recover and as we face new challenges on the horizon.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all our whānau and friends outside our region who have supported us this year, from Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, our mates who have also found it tough in Hawke’s Bay and the Wairarapa, Taranaki, Manawatu, and our South Island whānau.

There is still room for optimism. All we need to do is rely on the community wairua that has carried us through even the darkest (and wettest) of times.