Central Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Gabrielle recovery shaped by community conversations

Central Hawke's Bay's communities will have their say on how the district recovers from Cyclone Gabrielle.

The first of nine “Community Conversations” across Central Hawke’s Bay kicked off this week, shaping plans to build a stronger and more resilient district after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council says that the information shared at these meetings and through a supporting online survey will give a clearer picture of the immediate, medium- and longer-term priorities of communities across the district.

Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Alex Walker says “Local, local, local is the key. We are going to need help from others to move forward from the damage of this cyclone. But we need people to hear our local voice and not to just make decisions or plans over our heads. Communities and marae are how we are going to need to talk, think and plan so we can develop a robust and long-term approach to recovery.”

This “locality planning” approach to regional and local recovery, while council-facilitated, intends to put communities at the forefront, providing for a locally led, regionally coordinated and nationally supported recovery.

Central Hawke’s Bay’s council will develop local and district-wide plans with Central Hawke’s Bay communities in the coming weeks.

From the Community Conversations and online survey feedback, draft local plans will be developed.

Central Hawke’s Bay District Council chief executive Doug Tate says: “At our meetings, the first of which were held in Elsthorpe and Takapau this week, and through our survey we’re asking each community: What do you need right now, and what will you need further down the line? What can we all learn from what we’ve been through, and what are the big issues in front of us? And importantly, what has made you most proud of our community through Cyclone Gabrielle?

“What we learn from these local conversations will shape Central Hawke’s Bay’s part of the Hawke’s Bay regional recovery picture,” says Tate.