Regional Recovery Agency’s plan for Hawke’s Bay focuses on ‘better outcomes’

A resilient roading network will be a key plank of Hawke's Bay's cyclone recovery. Photo / NZME

The Regional Recovery Agency is about a month away from charting the first way forward for Hawke’s Bay.

The initial iteration of its recovery plan will largely concentrate on the “restoration” phase of the region’s rebuild, as we seek to move on from the events of February 14.

Be it roading, stopbanks, electricity or telecommunications, most aspects of Hawke’s Bay’s infrastructure failed during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Those have to be shored up for the short to medium term, but there’s no intent for that to be the last of the remedial or development work undertaken in the region.

That needs a cohesive approach, though. A plan that survives electoral cycles and isn’t affected by changes in personnel or policy at local and central government level.

That’s where the Regional Recovery Agency (RRA) comes in.

“Develop a regional plan, co-ordinate the players and access the funding. Those are the three big parts of the role that we have to play,” RRA board chairman Blair O’Keeffe said.

“We’re not the decision makers and that’s important to understand. Our role is a role of influence and coordination. The decision makers are the various entities that own the assets and the infrastructure and have the funding pools.

“Our job is to work with them to coordinate a clear comprehensive plan for the region.’’

That would be important anywhere, in the wake of a natural disaster.

In Hawke’s Bay, you could argue it’s doubly so, given the various district, city and regional councils involved, as well as Post Settlement Governance Entities (PSGEs).

“We’re a creation of the region,’’ RRA chief executive Ross McLeod said.

“We haven’t been imposed over the top of the region. The regional players - the councils, the PSGEs - created this model so that that the region could come together.”

The Regional Recovery Agency is about planning, co-ordination and funding, says board chairman Blair O’Keeffe. Photo / NZME

It will take a long time for individuals to recover from the cyclone, let alone the region.

For some, the disaster came and went. Others, though, continue to contend with it on a daily basis.

The first RRA plan is likely to reflect that and address the immediate and ongoing needs of those in the region still trying to get back on their feet.

But future plans will not.

They will focus on the delivery of services, infrastructure and stimulus that should stand Hawke’s Bay in better stead for generations.

“There is an opportunity for the region to be more strategic, more planned and more connected on a road map for the future and with positive outcomes in mind. No doubt,” O’Keeffe said.

“The region’s more united than it’s ever been with that purpose and we need to maximise the opportunity.’’

The RRA is not a “community-facing’' organisation. You won’t see them cutting ribbons on rebuilt bridges or turning the first sod on a four-laned Hawke’s Bay Expressway.

O’Keeffe is best known as the independent board chair of Napier Port, while McLeod is a former Hastings District Council chief executive.

Their role is governance and relationships. Taking the wishes and aspirations of Hawke’s Bay and ensuring they’re implemented.

“There will be significant investment in recovery and the opportunities to shape that to provide better outcomes than would otherwise have happened,” McLeod said.

This is a chance to properly connect Napier to Wairoa, to build a hospital that’s fit-for-purpose, to create a flood-protection scheme that does what it’s meant to.

“We’re here to support the region for its long-term success,’’ O’Keeffe said.