The wellbeing study conducted in Tairawhiti on the ongoing impact of last year's severe weather events involved the local research team of (left to right), Haley Maxwell, Dayna Chaffey, Hiria Philip-Barbara, Ralph Walker (project kaumatua) Josie McClutchie (project manager) and Professor Holly Thorpe (academic lead).
The wellbeing study conducted in Tairawhiti on the ongoing impact of last year's severe weather events involved the local research team of (left to right), Haley Maxwell, Dayna Chaffey, Hiria Philip-Barbara, Ralph Walker (project kaumatua) Josie McClutchie (project manager) and Professor Holly Thorpe (academic lead).
Communities throughout Tairāwhiti continue to experience widespread mental health effects like anxiety, sleep disruption and depression associated with the extreme weather events of 2023.
That has been one of the key findings from Tairawhiti-specific research contained in a report to Gisborne District Council that examines the health and wellbeing impacts of adverse weather conditions.
“Rain anxiety and climate fatigue are new phenomena affecting many across the region, without adequate mental health support,” the report states.
The study was part of a larger project collaboration between Te Weu Tairāwhiti and Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland for Manatū Hauora and The Ministry of Health. The project includes case studies in Te Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay.
The research presented in the Tairawhiti-specific report was led and conducted by a local research team consisting of Professor Holly Thorpe (academic lead), Josie McClutchie (project lead), Dayna Chaffey, Haley Maxwell and Hiria Philip Barbara, with leadership from Manu Caddie.
They conducted 45 interviews and met with focus groups involving nearly 80 participants across the East Coast (Makorori, Ūawa, Tokomaru Bay, Ruatōrea), Gisborne City and Gisborne Western Rural (including rural communities Te Karaka, Whatatutu, Ormond, and Matawai).
“The report is intended to be constructive, focusing on lessons learned and how local and national organisations can take these learnings to build more robust and resilient infrastructure in Te Tairāwhiti and across the country,” Thorpe said.
“Māori continue to experience trauma and sadness associated with the loss and destruction to their whenua, awa and moana, and the difficulty of returning to their marae in many parts of the region due to roading.
“Community hubs (i.e. marae, schools, volunteer fire stations) played a critical role in supporting communities’ various health and welfare needs during the State of Emergency and for many weeks after the event, often at their own expense.”
“Women in various roles across the community demonstrated highly responsive leadership, shaped by their deep community knowledge, relationships, organisational skills, compassion and empathy.
“In particular, wāhine Māori leaders (e.g., marae, schools) demonstrated innovative leadership shaped by cultural values of aroha and manaakitanga. Some women leaders of local organisations (particularly local government) faced heightened levels of abuse, impacting their own health and wellbeing.”
A massive build-up of slash next to the Hikuwai No 1 Bridge which was washed away during Cyclone Gabrielle last year. A report from an extensive collaborative study has found that rain anxiety and climate fatigue are new phenomena affecting many across the region.
Photo / Kiri Allan
The report points to communication and power outages, and how organisations and communities had to find new ways to connect and collaborate with each other, sharing limited resources and responding to those most in need.
“Trust and relationships were important in the efficiency and effectiveness of such efforts,” the report states.
“Cyclone Gabrielle put a huge strain on communities, but it also brought to the fore powerful examples of community care, compassion and social cohesion (e.g. between Pacific and Māori communities; between neighbours and residents in valley communities).
“Both community and health professionals acknowledged that the health system in Te Tairāwhiti had long been underfunded and was struggling to meet the complex health needs of a community, with high levels of socioeconomic deprivation, geographic isolation and longstanding inequities.
“Following Covid-19, the repeated extreme weather events have further exacerbated the health needs of the community, while exhausting health providers and infrastructure.”
The report states the extreme weather events (particularly Cyclone Gabrielle) exposed significant gaps in the health system.
“Particularly for those with high health needs, disabilities, elderly, and those living in rural, remote and isolated communities – and some services – particularly for young people – have seen a decline in participation since the 2023 cyclones compared to similar periods in previous years.”
Thorpe said the Te Tairawhiti report will be being shared with key stakeholders and local community over the coming weeks.
A copy was presented to Gisborne District Council this week.
“Our local team feel a strong sense of responsibility to ensure the stories generously shared with us by our community are respected, and that the report can be used for constructive change towards more robust and resilient systems in the context of climate change and extreme weather events.
“We hope other regions across the country (and perhaps the world) can also learn a lot from the experiences of Te Tairawhiti,” she said.
“The report is full of stories of hope, courage and resilience.”
It will be made available free to view and download from the Te Weu Charitable Trust website in the next few weeks and there will be a hard copy available at the library.
