Welcome mat in Cyclone Gabrielle-hit areas a sign of regional resilience

Editorial

EDITORIAL

Holiday hotspots like Gisborne should take a bow.

Those who have travelled around the north of the country this summer will have seen areas that bore the brunt of Cyclone Gabrielle less than a year ago.

Some communities were on their knees.

While holidaymakers enjoy the sun now, it’s worth recalling that last February 14, a national state of emergency was declared for only the third time in the country’s history.

The storm cost 11 lives and caused more than $14 billion in damage.

Data from the Public Health Communication Centre (PHCC) showed nearly 2000 people were injured.

Some 16 per cent of the Hastings District was flooded. Initial estimates suggested approximately 1600 homes were flooded across Hawke’s Bay, some with up to seven metres of water. In Gisborne, hundreds of houses were affected, the city’s main water supply was knocked out and 90 per cent of cellphone towers were offline for several days.

More than 30 sections of state highway were completely closed to traffic around the North Island.

The scars on the land are still visible in those affected areas and the emotional impact will still be deeply felt by many residents.

Hundreds of property owners remain in buyout-or-not limbo and the road to repair much infrastructure is a long one. In Gisborne, at least, empty shops on the main street are a sign that times are tough, with anecdotal reports of farmers spending money on fixing fences instead of in town.

Those living daily with the recovery will feel it’s a slow slog but for those who travelled through the areas for the first time since the cyclone, there are real signs of progress.

In the Coromandel, the new 124m Taparahi Bridge on SH25A - the highway a victim of the ferocious rain storm a fortnight before Gabrielle - was opened just before Christmas and has substantially improved the journey for thousands over the ranges. In a case of every cloud having a silver lining, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said it had also taken the opportunity with the closure of the road to invest an additional $30 million to clear slips, replace culverts, repair drains and strengthen seven bridges.

Gisborne was effectively cut off for days aside from limited air links in mid-February and was then pummelled by more storms during the year, in which forestry slash again piled up on beaches.

But for the 20,000-plus who descended on the city of 37,000 for Rhythm & Vines over New Year, this would have been scarcely apparent. The beaches were clear and the city rolled out the welcome mat for the influx. The benefits are uneven but the event provided a sugar rush for the local economy. And that is needed.

Westpac rated the economic temperature as “cold” in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay in the latter part of last year.

The bank’s economists said businesses involved in cyclone recovery and construction have seen strong sales levels. However, many households are struggling with cost-of-living pressures as they repair and replace damaged items.

Sustainable growth is needed and tourism is helping, with visitor spending higher than before the pandemic. In a telling symbol, a boutique cruise ship full of wealthy passengers berthed at Gisborne’s port just after a vessel left laden with raw logs with little value added.