“We helped as locals set about reuniting a couple of these animals with their owners.
It was ‘“a small miracle in a very stressful few days”.
“On our journey to the river's edge we met such lovely locals and it was an absolute pleasure to give them a little bit of HUHA help in their time of need.
“The moral of this experience and our advice to all who live or graze on low-lying land is be prepared, have a plan, identify accessible higher ground, ask for help and always err on the side of caution, and move your stock.
“A huge thank you to all the emergency response agencies in the area as well as the teams who travelled in, and to our friends in the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Animal Emergency Response Sub-function for leading us to these situations and allowing us to do what we do.”
The Ministry of Primary Industries deployed an emergency management team to help farmers on the East Coast locate a place safe from the floods for their livestock and other animals.
MPI director of animal health and welfare Stephen Cobb said farmers on the East Coast could access support through Federated Farmers or local Civil Defence.
“High value or vulnerable stock should be moved to areas which will be easily accessible in case they need assistance, supplementary feed or veterinary treatment.
“You will want to make sure your stock has access to clean feed and water in their new contained space until they can be returned to their paddocks.
“It's important people remember to ask for help if they need it and to always include animals in their emergency planning and preparation.”
Eastland Veterinary Services Limited principal veterinarian John Meban said judging by some of the photographs he had seen on social media, the damage had been severe in places and the potential for animals to be under stress was real.
“Animals may have been swept away or become bogged or trapped. So where possible, it is desirable to assess the damage and alleviate any animals in distress.
“Unfortunately some injured animals may require humane destruction with appropriate disposal of carcasses.”
Where possible, when animals had been moved to higher and safer ground it was important to provide them with adequate feed and shelter, he said.
“Luckily, feed supplies in the district are plentiful but there is potential for disruption to the normal farming cycle with the rams and ewes out in lots of places.
“Fortunately animals are in good condition at the moment with the favourable summer growing conditions we have had.
“At this time of year there are no young lambs about and calves are old enough to be resilient.
“Utilisation of feed will be lower than usual due to the very wet ground. Adequate fresh water is also very important.”
Farmers responded quickly to the floods and rallied around to help each other with the appropriate emergency services, Mr Meban said.
“Transport up the Coast is tricky and our usual courier services are disrupted so getting urgent animal remedies to animals in need is problematic.
“We had two rural vets unable to get to work last week with road closures. This has added to our temporary Covid-19-related staffing issues.”
SPCA Gisborne centre manager Lindy Magee said the team were working closely with emergency services and MPI, and were ready to provide assistance when required.
“While it seems the worst of the bad weather is behind us, we would always advise pet owners to have a plan in place should they need to evacuate suddenly,” she said.
“This includes having supplies your pet needs such as food, medical records and medications handy.
“If anyone has concerns or requires assistance from us, please call SPCA's Gisborne Centre on 06 867-9463.”
Federated Farmers Gisborne-Wairoa provincial president Toby Williams said they had been helping farmers on the East Coast by triaging their needs and connecting them with appropriate emergency services.
“As well, farmers can call East Coast Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254 for assistance.”
• More information regarding animal welfare in emergencies can be accessed on the MPI website at
