A lot still to do as cyclone recovery continues: Minister

Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson visited Gisborne District Council and those in the rural sector during his visit. He is pictured with East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick. Picture by Liam Clayton

Minister of Rural Communities Mark Patterson has met with the local farming sector and Gisborne District Council to assess cyclone recovery.

“It is important to get my head around the scale of the events and to be an advocate at the Government level,” he said.

The National-led Government says recovery was too slow under the previous Government.

Mr Patterson, an NZ First MP who was also in Parliament in the 2017-2020 term and is a former Otago-based Federated Farmers president, said the Labour Government had left a lot of unworkable and bureacratic regulation.

Water quality, water quantity and the encroachment of trees were among other crucial issues.

Mr Patterson, who is also the Associate Minister of Agriculture, said the rural sector needed better health and education and a stronger police presence, while much work was required in infrastructure.

He described Gisborne as an “incredibly diverse and important food bowl for New Zealand” and said “there was still much to do”.