Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel before heading to Te Araroa on an Air Ruatōria plane on Friday afternoon.
Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel before heading to Te Araroa on an Air Ruatōria plane on Friday afternoon.
Tairāwhiti’s recovery from this week’s devastating storm damage is going to be “a long game”, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.
Tangaere-Manuel - who comes from Rangitukia, near the devastated town of Te Araroa – flew with Air Ruatōria to Te Araroa on Friday afternoon for a “needs assessment” and to“see how whānau were faring”.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell were scheduled to fly to Wharekahika/Hicks Bay, then on to the emergency co-ordination centre in Gisborne.
The PM earlier on Friday visited storm-hammered Tairua in the Coromandel and Mount Maunganui, where six people were unaccounted for after a landslide at the Beachside Holiday Park on Thursday morning.
Tangaere-Manuel told the Gisborne Herald it had been “very disheartening” not to be able to “get amongst our people” after flying to Gisborne on Thursday for civil defence briefings.
“[But] I was very cognisant of the fact that we are very limited in choppers ... I didn’t want to take a resource unnecessarily out of circulation. So today I’ve been liaising closely with Ngāti Porou iwi because I know that the recovery is going to be a long game.”
With Tangaere-Manuel on the Air Ruatōria flight was Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou chairman Patrick Tangaere.
Tangaere-Manuel said they had been in close contact with Tash Wanoa, the Te Araroa community link for Tairāwhiti Civil Defence.
“She’s been painting a picture of how absolutely disconnected the community and communities are.”
Tangaere-Manuel said the recovery would begin as soon as possible.
“Once the water subsides, that’s when the real mahi will begin. I just want to get a really clear picture of, how as Opposition [Labour] and then as a local MP, I can support the long-term recovery of the region.”
Tangaere-Manuel posted on Facebook that funding for those affected would be prioritised as it became available.
“If you know of whānau who have personal damage to property (farms included), they can send this information to me and I’ll put it together in a database,” the Facebook post said.
Gisborne district councillor Rawinia Parata, of Ruatōria, was another who could be contacted.
“Everyone’s well-trained ... that’s one positive thing that’s come out of Cyclone Gabrielle is the investment in professional development of our people throughout our communities and the injection of resources,” Tangaere-Manuel said.
Gisborne-based Labour list MP Jo Luxton backed Tangaere-Manuel.
“If we want to make sure our voices are heard, we have to be our own biggest advocates,” she said.
“It can feel tough to share personal property details, especially when it feels like we’re being left to advocate for ourselves. But the more we can show the full extent of the damage, the stronger our case will be for everyone to get the support they need.
“It’s been confronting today to see the scale of destruction communities are dealing with,” the post reads.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrives in Tauranga Airport and greets Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell before heading to Mount Maunganui. Photo / Corey Fleming
