Two months on from Cyclone Gabrielle smashing the east coast of the North Island, some forestry crews are still without work and consistent wet weather is slowing down the recovery on farms.
There was huge damage to forestry estates in Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay - and while many crews are back to work, others are waiting.
Forest Industry Contractors Association chief executive Prue Younger said about 60 workers have in fact had no work for nearly four months and the contracting business owners are bleeding money.
“Some of those crews have actually had no work since Christmas due to export market demand and because of the infrastructure damage, they’re not able to access skid sites, and I know contractor companies are paying out of their back pockets to keep their crews going.
“Unfortunately, funding from MBIE and MPI hasn’t been able to cover those costs and I know that they’re really struggling, but working with the wood council up there, there’s certainly some traction and understanding that they need some extension on that funding.”
When asked when crews would be back at work in Tai Rāwhiti, Younger said there were no clear indications of when that will happen.
But she said it was a different story in Hawke’s Bay where logging contractors have found alternative work for crews such as civil roading recovery projects.
“Infrastructure-wise, it’s still taking some time to get some roads open especially to those high country plantations but all the contractors I’ve spoken to down there (say) they’ve found alternative work for their crews.
“And the export of logs has ramped back up. The port has been quite busy over the last couple of weeks, so there is plenty of harvesting happening.”
For pastoral farmers, consistent wet weather was holding up the recovery.
Wairoa farming leader Allan Newton said over Easter another 140 millimetres of rain fell on top of already wet ground.
“Most farmers are getting on with the job. Repairing fencing has been a big one but it’s just been so wet, lambs don’t like it so they’ve been struggling to fatten.
Wairoa from the air shows flood waters and mud throughout the town. Photo / Nathan McKinnon
“At our place at the moment it’s the wettest we’ve ever had and we’ve been here for 10 years, we’ve got tracks on elevated hill country where its hard to walk because your gumboots sink six inches.
“I know lots of farmers are struggling to drive vehicles and tractors on their farm. If they get stuck they’re walking home and coming back to drag them out later.”
Newton said Wairoa normally gets one or two 300mm months a year, but so far this year, April has already had 200mm, January was close to 300mm and February brought Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Farmers are starting to get a bit worn down. The big problem remains getting stock off farms and where they need to go because most of the store lambs are sent to Hawke’s Bay for fattening.”
With State Highway Two south of Wairoa closed, it meant stock trucks have to travel north through Gisborne and Whakatāne and then loop back south to Hawke’s Bay.
“To get a truck to the bay it’s now costing $8000 and there’s still 78 units of lamb to come out of the are. That’s 600 lambs a unit and a large number of them are relying on the store market in central Hawke’s Bay.”
Newton said the issue of getting stock to the bay and the really high price has been raised with MPI and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council officials in meetings.
“At a recent meeting I was told by a high-ranking person at the regional council that farmers need to find other markets for their livestock to fatten but unfortunately you can’t simply teach dairy farmers in Waikato to fatten lambs.
“So it’s s... for farmers when the people higher up making decisions lack the understanding of how some farming practices work.”
Work to repair the Waikare Bridge which would restore easier access to Hawke’s Bay has begun but Newton was not sure when it will reopen.
