Editorial: Auckland floods, Cyclone Gabrielle - Task force route suggests long and winding road

The destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle is everywhere to be seen in Esk Valley almost three weeks on. Photo / Neil Reid

Government data on buildings worst affected by this year’s weather disasters provide a sense of scale to an important part of the response going forward.

According to the MBIE, more than 9000 properties in the upper and eastern North Island have received red, yellow or white stickers depending on the amount of damage assessed.

It’s not a completed list, but it does suggest that the number of people in families or businesses badly impacted - who might need help to move and rebuild - could be substantial.

The Government has legislation planned for later this year outlining a framework for “managed retreat”, and will have experts and industry groups studying it and other related issues in the meantime.

But it will likely be a long and methodical process - a slog for people in areas like the Esk Valley traumatised by what has happened to them.

Last week a Government task force was set up to guide the recovery, aiming to “align locally led recovery plans with the work of government agencies and the private sector”.

The Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Task Force is to identify options for retreat from high flood and storm risk areas and what that might mean for funding and regulations, and how to build more resilient infrastructure.

Legislative direction and financial support for people to shift away from vulnerable areas is needed at a national level but it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation in the worst-hit regions.

The Weekend Herald delved into a cycle going back generations of rebuilding on unstable waterside land vulnerable to slips and erosion in the wider Auckland area.

More oversight, restrictions on development with some areas off limits, and property buyouts could be options in Auckland where most of the red-stickered buildings, too damaged to enter, are located.

The possibility of shifting communities to safer areas might be more likely elsewhere.

Environmental engineer Jamie Simmonds, who was involved in moving an Australian town after a flood in 2011, told RNZ discussions about retreats perhaps should be happening soon.

Rebuilding Grantham in Queensland on higher ground was a decision taken quickly and completed within a year. It cost the federal and state governments A$18 million.

The regional council bought 378ha for the new town and people in the community made the move in a variety of ways - some relocating their existing homes, others building new ones with insurance payouts. There were land swaps and ballots.

“When people get hit by a disaster ... they’re really hopeful for answers quickly, and you have a fairly short window of opportunity with those people, to pull them together and help ‘em out,” Simmonds said.

The Government here has been quick to provide some immediate recovery funds, although clearing up and repairing roads is taking time.

The task force process as described sounds thorough, with experts expected to offer advice and groups involved to cover areas such as insurance, telecommunications, construction and roading.

It may be a path to ensure all the nationwide, long-term and complex pieces of this puzzle are investigated and not allowed to fall away. There won’t be quick developments. It seems destined to be a long and winding road.

Find full coverage of the Auckland Floods here.