Hawke's Bay regional councillor Will Foley.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Annual Plan 2020-21 has been adopted after consultation with the community, in particular the zero per cent increase in rates revenue and the set-up of a $1 million recovery fund.
The council wasn't intending to consult on this Annual Plan, as a general continuance of the Long Term Plan, developed earlier, but of course, the drought and Covid-19 presented a distinct set of challenges.
These twin blows negatively affected budgets, forecasts, and employment in the region.
While the drought has broken and a reasonably kind winter with good growing conditions has buoyed farmers, there remains significant uncertainty about the instability of overseas markets affected by Covid-19.