The clean-up in Wairoa has been ongoing since the Wairoa River overflowed into the lower part of town. Photo / Paul Taylor
The clean-up in Wairoa has been ongoing since the Wairoa River overflowed into the lower part of town. Photo / Paul Taylor
An urgent review will take place to assess Wairoa’s flooding response and whether the local councils could have acted to prevent thousands losing power and hundreds of homes being evacuated.
It comes as the Government commits a further $500,000 to the Wairoa mayoral relief fund to help support the town’s recovery after wild weather hit coastal East Coast communities last week.
It was estimated people from about 500 homes had to be evacuated in Wairoa after heavy rain fell along the East Coast, including in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Some coastal settlements experienced high swells which threatened some properties.
In the aftermath, some in the Wairoa community - including Mayor Craig Little expressed concern that the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council was slow in addressing the Wairoa River bar, a raised area of sediment that builds up in the mouth of the Wairoa River. Clearing the bar reduced the impact of flooding.
The council put contractors on standby on Friday, June 21 but they did not begin work until the following Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, conditions were deemed unsafe
The Wairoa River bar caused significant issues during Cyclone Gabrielle.
Wairoa’s Flood Protection Stakeholder Group chair Lawrence Yule said in April there was a need to capture local knowledge around the bar and preserve that for future generations, to support robust processes.
A report released in April about last year’s flooding said there would be “improvements” to the bar and it would be “proactively managed” with local input and short-term decision-making ability.
Heavy machinery at the Wairoa river mouth. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds acknowledged the community’s concerns and said the review would assess whether there was adequate monitoring of the bar and whether decisions made were correct.
“It is about finding out where improvements can be made so we can better manage future events and protect communities,” she said.
The review would take about four weeks. Findings would be presented to the council in August.
The review came alongside another $500,000 from the Government for Wairoa’s mayoral relief fund, further to the $100,000 already committed.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said the flooding had been “really tough” and more financial support had been required.
“Today’s additional contribution to the mayoral relief fund will provide support for the community’s immediate and pressing needs, such as section clean ups, replacing clothes and bedding, and the hire and purchase of drying and dehumidifying equipment.”
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
