Northland kūmara farmers Krista Franklin and her husband, James, were looking forward to harvest week when Cyclone Gabrielle turned their world on its head.
Northland kūmara farmers Krista Franklin and her husband, James, were looking forward to harvest week when Cyclone Gabrielle turned their world on its head.
Following Cyclone Gabrielle, Northland farmers were among the most severely affected, losing income, crops and their livelihoods.
With the assistance of the Government, organisations and fellow farmers, many have been able to get back on their feet. Farmstrong is continuing the spirit of assisting farmers with the launch of rural wellbeing programme Getting Through to support farmers recovering from adverse weather events.
Northland kūmara farmers Krista Franklin and her husband, James, were looking forward to kūmara harvest week when Cyclone Gabrielle turned their world on its head.
They are second-generation kūmara farmers and also have beef and lamb on a couple of blocks – their home farm and land nearby. James’ parents founded the kūmara business and have farmed kūmara for 33 years. Krista and James have been kūmara farming for 10 years.
“The cyclone was the biggest life event that we’ve experienced as a family. It rocked us to the core,” she says.
Krista says the early part of Cyclone Gabrielle was devastating. The floodwater breached the river adjacent to their property.
The cyclone caused major damage nationwide, with Northland hard hit.
“When the water first started rising, my husband and his dad were focused on the farm and crops. But after a while, I said ‘What about us?’, because it didn’t feel safe and literally within five minutes we were scrambling to pack bags.
“That’s how fast it all happened. By the time we got in the cars we were driving through floodwater. It was scary. I guess you go into fight-or-flight mode. We just went into flight and headed to our in-laws.”
The Franklins were fortunate that their house is built up on piles because in the end the floodwater was only a doorstep away from entering the house.
The water flooded all the flats, all their kumara land, which was fully cropped at the time, so the impact was devastating.
“In the end, we only harvested 16% of our crop, so the financial loss was substantial.”
Krista says it was a really challenging time to navigate, physically and mentally.
“When it first happened, we felt really reclusive and didn’t want to see people. We felt so low. To be honest, what helped us most was just getting off-farm.”
She says the Northland Rural Support Trust and Northern Wairoa Vegetable Growers Association were great at hosting community events like luncheons and dinners with fellow growers.
“That really helped because you could see other people going through a similar experience which gave you a sense of support. You felt connected.
The stories of farmers impacted by severe weather events in 2023 have been captured by Farmstrong in a bid to give others in the primary sector more tools to get through tough times.
Flooding in Ruawai was among the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle on Northland’s rural sector.
More than 30 farmers, growers and industry leaders were interviewed as part of the series that has been pulled into a book, website and resources to support those going through the recovery from the weather events.
Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and growers manage the ups and downs of farming. Last year, 15,500 farmers and growers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme.
ACC is a strategic partner of Farmstrong, alongside founding partners rural insurer FMG and the Mental Health Foundation.
“We need to acknowledge this has been an extraordinary and stressful time for farmers in these regions,” ACC injury prevention workplace manager Paula Wood said.
“We are pleased to support this Getting Through toolkit to ensure farmers and growers have the resources they need to get through extreme weather events.”
In 2022, ACC accepted over 22,630 farming-related injury claims, which came at a cost of $96 million to help people recover.
An ACC-funded study for Farmstrong shows 58% of injured farmers linked their injuries to stress associated with farm work. A quarter of them said it was a major factor.
The book and accompanying website titled Getting Through were officially launched in Wellington on Thursday. The launch was attended by Minister for Mental Health and Minister for ACC Matt Doocey.
Krista says the toolkit will be invaluable. She says the hardest part in an adverse weather event is dealing with the unknowns.
“We used what happened as an opportunity to think about how we could move forward more positively. The cyclone’s proven to us that life is fragile and it’s important to enjoy the small things in life.”
Farmstrong programme director Gerard Vaughan says there is a wealth of knowledge farmers and growers can tap into and use as a roadmap to move forward after tough times.
“The main take-out from these resources is a hopeful one. As awful as these events are, farmers and growers do find a way through. A long-haul recovery, however, is a marathon not a sprint. That’s why people’s mental and physical wellbeing has to be a priority despite the upheaval.”
Vaughan said the tools and insights from Getting Through were relevant for anyone facing tough times.
“There are practical mental skills that people can draw on to help them manage the emotional rollercoaster of a recovery. We know that different things work for different people. That’s why Farmstrong’s call to action is always ‘Find out what works for you and lock it in’,” he says.
