Wairoa flooding: PM Christopher Luxon plans visit; families rehoused at holiday park

Wairoa resident Libby Young cleaning up her flooded property. Photo / Paul Taylor

Prime Minister Chris Luxon says he is planning a trip to flood-stricken Wairoa and is open to investing more money to support its recovery.

He has also hinted at a possible review of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s management of Wairoa River, which flooded the lower part of the township last Wednesday.

During a post-Cabinet press conference, Luxon said he was planning to visit the town on Saturday.

About 118 homes were inundated during the latest flood, with floodwaters getting into those homes, according to Civil Defence. Hundreds of other properties around Wairoa were also flooded to a lesser extent.

Long-term residents say they have never experienced flooding to that extent before in that part of town.

Many residents believe the flooding could have been prevented if Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) had started work earlier to open the bar at the nearby Wairoa River mouth that takes about two days to open with machinery.

HBRC group manager of asset management Chris Dolley has defended the council’s decision to wait until the day before the floods to begin work on the bar, because “there would likely be insufficient flow in the river to keep a new opening in place” if they’d begun work earlier.

Luxon said he was “open to investing more” in Wairoa and hinted at a review of the regional council’s management of the bar at the Wairoa River mouth.

“The river has broken in a place where it has historically not broken before,” he said.

“There is a need for us to do a review of the regional council’s actions around the bar and the management of the bar, out of the river.”

He did not expand further on details about a possible review.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is planning a visit to Wairoa. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Luxon said Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell, who visited Wairoa on the day of the floods, would probably make an announcement this week on further support for Wairoa.

“We stand ready to go with any more assistance financially that is needed.”

Tātau Tātau chief executive Lewis Ratapu said some families displaced by the latest floods had been offered temporary accommodation at Mahia Holiday Park.

Tātau Tātau is a post-Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) settlement governance entity that represents hapu around Wairoa and does a lot of work in that community.

Tātau Tātau bought the Mahia Holiday Park this year and Ratapu said some families affected by last Wednesday’s floods had been offered a temporary place.

“We are using the camp as temporary accommodation now for families,” he said.

Crews cleaning up flood-hit Wairoa last week. Photo / Paul Taylor

“We have been [helping] some families out to Mahia motor camp, those who want to go out there, as most want to stay in town.”

Mahia is about 40 minutes’ drive from Wairoa. Ratapu said most temporary accommodation around Wairoa was already in use by flood victims still displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle last February (which flooded another part of the town) and by tradies helping with the recovery and rebuild.

“That has put a lot of pressure on housing stock.”

He said firewood would be appreciated from anyone who could donate it because flooded residents, where safe, were lighting their fireplaces to help dry out their homes.

“We have done about 18 loads so far just to try and get the fires going and the houses dried,” he said.

“But we are running out. We are looking for logs — dry logs — if anyone can donate logs we can chop up.”

Call Tātau Tātau on 06 261 4100 if you have firewood you can donate and drop off in Wairoa.

Other hapu and post-settlement groups across Hawke’s Bay have also been donating goods such as mops and buckets to help with the clean-up.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.