Hawke’s Bay out of the cyclone into a drought

A large rural community group established in Hawke’s Bay following the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle is now planning what to do about drought, after scorching temperatures in the region.

The Hawke's Bay dry of 2024 starting to take effect at Puketapu, where the Kaweka Community Catchment Collective will stage a forum on Wednesday to help farmers deal with the expected drought.

The Kaweka Community Catchment Collective, encompassing the Tūtaekurī and Mohaka river catchments, covers more than 64,000 hectares, including the communities of Dartmoor, Rissington, Patoka, and Puketitiri, and is staging a forum on Wednesday to help farmers planning for and dealing with a drought.

Much of the area south of Hawke’s Bay Airport has had 4-5 months of below-average rainfalls, and temperatures in the early summer having hit 30C three times, including last Thursday’s urban peak of 33.7C in Napier, when it was even hotter in exposed parts of the Kaweka catchment, between the Tūtaekurī River and State Highway 5.

Co-ordinator Alice Beamish, who farms near Puketapu, said “We could certainly do with some rain out here”, it’s dry and last week, while picking up the children from school in the afternoon, she noticed the temperature displayed at 37.5C.

She said the 9am to 11.30am forum aims to help farmers and agricultural businesses in preparing for and managing the challenges posed by drought, the spectre of which has been looming for several weeks.

With temperatures again heading towards 30C in Hawke’s Bay on Monday, she said: “As extreme dry conditions increasingly impact agricultural productivity, the collective is dedicated to helping its members navigate these challenging circumstances with informed planning and management tools.”

It will comprise a series of quick-fire presentations, including advice from bankers, accountants, independent livestock agents, veterinarians, the Rural Support Trust and others.

“Our goal is to equip farmers with the essential strategies and knowledge they need to proactively manage and mitigate the impacts of extreme dry conditions,” Beamish said. “By working together as a community, we can share insights and experiences that will help us thrive even in challenging times.”

Farmers and small block holders from other catchment groups are also invited to attend, with Beamish saying an important aspect is the opportunity to connect with fellow landowners to share best practices and build resilient networks.

While already in the thinking stage at the time of the February 2023 cyclone, the Kaweka group was established six months later, and, as a direct result of the cyclone devastation and experiences, is supported by Community Extension Services funding from the Ministry of Primary Industries to help build resilience in the communities.

As of about 1pm, Monday, Napier had the nationwide temperature high of 29.1C, according to MetService.

Similar temperatures were forecast for the rest of the week, but there was a sudden change mid-afternoon, with temperatures dropping 5-6C and 5-6mm of rain falling in as little as 10 minutes in some areas, although no more was forecast before Thursday.

Wind had also been an issue, causing a power cut in the Pūtōrino area about 2.30am, after a tree fell over power lines. About 190 customers were impacted, and 58 had supply restored within minutes.

Fallen trees blocking roads initially caused delays for Unison crews reaching the site but, once on-site, the team reduced the number of affected customers to 44 by 6:30am. Some properties were still without power by the afternoon, but Unison estimated all power would be restored by 4pm on Monday.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.