December 30 cut-off to report land damaged by Gabrielle

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The community has until December 30 to notify the district council of any residential land severely affected by Cyclone Gabrielle that is not already known to the council.

Council sustainable futures director Joanna Noble said a cut-off date was needed to ensure they could move forward to meet the needs of those affected.

“It’s important people make sure that council is aware of their severely damaged land so that it can be inspected by a council specialist.

“When the Future of Severely Affected Land (FOSAL) framework was first announced by central government, council took a conservative approach to land classification, and classified over 1800 properties as Category 2A, meaning they required further assessment.

“However, council is not always aware of damage that has occurred to properties and is reliant on individual property owners coming forward if they have not yet been given a provisional FOSAL classification.

“We are also aware there are whānau, whose property has provisionally been classified as FOSAL Category 2A, who are waiting for confirmation of what category they are in.

“Our team are working hard to provide as much certainty as possible to property owners before Christmas. Letters are being sent to these property owners next week, as well as to those remaining in FOSAL Category 2A, to provide an update on their classification.

“We are aiming to have completed categorisations for all properties by early next year, thanks to the tireless work of the FOSAL team at council,” Ms Noble said.

“For the properties that remain in Category 2A, further assessment needs to be undertaken to identify the best intervention options to reduce future risks.

“If property owners feel like the categorisation for their property is incorrect, they are encouraged to contact council with information about how their property was or wasn’t impacted.

“In addition, if they are concerned about landslide risk at their property, they also need to get in touch with the council.”

If people are satisfied with the classification of their property, they need do nothing further.