‘We have to look after ourselves’

BUILD-UP: Fencelines and paddocks clogged with silt and debris are a common, distressing sight on the East Coast. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

“Toitu te whenua, toitu nga whānau, toitu Ngati Porou” (care for the land, for the families, for Ngati Porou), are the thoughts uppermost in the mind of Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou chairman, Selwyn Parata, as he contemplates the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, the immediate and medium-term relief required and the long-term outlook for Ngati Porou, the Coast and Tairāwhiti region.

“Our old people have a saying that you cannot expect people to help you, if you don’t help yourself, and Ngati Porou all over the country are digging into their own pockets, leveraging their whakapapa and business connections with other iwi and companies to secure and deliver connectivity, food, essential supplies and equipment to the Coast and Gisborne,” said Mr Parata.

“We have come to understand that we have to look after ourselves, because when time and resource pressures are felt in Gisborne, the Coast and outlying areas such as Te Karaka are left waiting,” said Mr Parata.

Ngati Porou have already sent whakaaro (funding) to Ngati Whatua in Auckland, in the wake of Awha Hale, to Ngati Kahungunu Inc, Tatau Tatau in Wairoa and Te Aitanga a Mahaki, the iwi and places that have been hit hard by Awha Gabrielle.

Ngati Porou have received financial support from a number of iwi throughout Aotearoa, the Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency, and offers of goods, services and equipment from individuals, businesses and organisations throughout Aotearoa.

The runanganui are currently working on an action plan to assess what needs to be done, immediately, in the medium and long term. Ngati Porou will identify what they can do for themselves, and whanaunga in Turanga, Te Karaka, Wairoa, and Te Matau o Maui. We will reach out to government and its agencies to tap into an ‘equitable share’, of the relief funding and support they have available, They will also meet with the council, Rau Tipu Rau Ora, Eastland Group Ltd, Trust Tairāwhiti and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to partner with them to implement priority roading, infrastructure and business response and recovery actions.

“Understanding the immediate needs of our whanau and communities, is our first priority,” said Mr Parata. “So we are working with our staff, hapu leads, local civil defence and emergency teams, council and government agencies to assess socio-economic impacts”.

These impacts include access to food, water, essential supplies, medical supplies, fuel, internet, power, services and support provided to emergency shelters established across the region.”

Whānau had gone without power, internet and phone services, Mr Parata said. They had endured days, if not weeks, of being isolated due to slips and road closures, the second time in four weeks and the sixth time in 12 months.

“Our people are resilient,” said runanganui CEO George Reedy. “However, having to be resilient 24/7 for weeks, months in a row, begins to take its toll on even the hardiest of people.

“We are seeing increases in the numbers of whānau with emotional and mental fatigue, traumatised by rescuing whanau in the middle of the night, watching their property, marae, urupa swamped and worrying about buying food when you don’t have cash and cannot use the eftpos at the local store,” he said.

The runanganui established a credit line with shops across the Coast for whanau needing to purchase food and essential supplies, who did not have cash and could not access eftpos.

Working with its holding company and Nati networks, the runanganui sourced 31 Starlink satellite receivers from Auckland, a plane to deliver them to Ruatoria and where they were deployed to isolated communities across the Coast from Hicks Bay to Gisborne.

“It was humbling to watch the impact of whānau getting cellphone access for the first time in days, connecting with their whānau after five days with no contact,” said Nori Parata, Civil Defence Emergency Management coordinator in Uawa.

Two of the Starlinks were loaned to Trust Tairāwhiti to support local Gisborne businesses get back online to resume business after four days of being offline.

A network of young Ngati Porou people, calling themselves Wiwi Nati CG have established a NPEC Relief fund and are coordinating the supply of truckloads of food, water, essential supplies, fuel and equipment including generators, gas bottles and forklifts on to the Coast and into Gisborne. The Wiwi Nati CG have leveraged their relationships with iwi, Ngati Whatua in Auckland, Waikato-Tainui in Hamilton, Ngati Tuwharetoa in Turangi, Ngati Awa in Whakatane, Ngati Toa in Wellington and Ngai Tahu in Christchurch to source much-needed supplies, and organised trucks, planes and boats to transport goods to Tairāwhiti. Their efforts have been complemented by Ngati Porou Taurahere who established supply collection and distribution centres across the country.

The Ngati Porou holding company, working with a network of Ngati Porou farming, forestry, horticultural advisers, will work with Ngati Porou and Coast landowners, farmers, horticulturalists, and forest companies to assess the extent of damage to whenua, waterways, property, stock, crops, forests, and infrastructure.

“We will investigate the services and support required and available to assist landowners, assess damage, prepare recovery plans, and navigate the bureaucracy, associated with accessing government’s relief and response funding,” said runanganui deputy chairman Rei Kohere, a farmer living at East Cape.

“A mobile back-office facility will be established to assist landowners process insurance claims,” he said.

A number of locals had shared their experiences in preparing and filing insurance claims and intimated that the assessment time and process were so onerous, that they didn’t bother to file claims.

“No one can afford to continue to absorb the ongoing and increasing costs associated with cleaning up silt and debris, restocking, replacing fences, culverts and crops and of course rising insurance premiums,” said Mr Kohere.

Ngati Porou would be talk with Trust Tairāwhiti, the economic development agency and the TEAP, Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan steering committee about economic recovery plans and funding while commencing discussions with central government on economic stimulus and support packages for local businesses.

“We feel for our farmers, croppers, foresters and miere (honey) producers, who have had an absolutely disastrous start to the new year,” Mr Kohere said.

“The timing is right for these discussions, as we, the TEAP steering group, are about to begin a review of the regional economic action plan.” Mr Reedy is co-chair of the TEAP with Trust Tairāwhiti chief executive Gavin Murphy.

Early next month Ngati Porou will raise with the Rau Tipu Rau Ora leadership at their meeting, the plan to advance actions agreed at the February 1 meeting with Government Ministers, the forestry industry, Federated Farmers, landowners, iwi and independent inquiry petitioner representatives. These actions will include a review of sustainable land use and management practices in Tairāwhiti.

“We will also be keen to discuss action plans for future-proofing our region for ongoing severe weather events and coordinating, timely clean-ups of waterways, land and beaches across Tairāwhiti, post storms and cyclones,” Mr Reedy said. “We acknowledge the clean-up work undertaken by local forestry companies, under the leaderships of the Eastland Wood Council.”

Mr Parata said: “Our thanks, and appreciation to our hapu and community support networks across the rohe, local civil defence and emergency coordinators and teams, led by Ben Green, CDEM Group Controller, and Radio Ngati Porou who remained vigilant throughout the past week.

“To all our whanau, hapu, taurahere and communities, please remain vigilant, safe and kind to each other. We will get through this, as we have in the past, stronger and more unified.”

“Te wiwi Nati, no Porourangi, he iwi moke no Waiapu, no Whangaokeno, no Hikurangi, te wiwi, te nati”