The National Party says a union advertisement on the front of the NZ Herald newspaper this morning shows Labour diving into the “most negative campaign in history”. Video / NZ Herald
Some Hawke’s Bay residents who are fighting to be removed from Category 3 so they can continue living on their land and in their homes have welcomed plans for a new Cyclone Ombudsman, if National is elected next month.
Party leader Christopher Luxon visited the region on Monday, one of the first official engagements of his campaign to be elected.
Luxon announced plans for the region, including a new Ombudsman for cyclone-related issues, and hinted at an “upgrade” to State Highway 2 and SH5 in Hawke’s Bay, if elected.
The proposed office of the Cyclone and Flood Recovery Ombudsman would have powers to review decisions such as land categorisations or house buyout valuations, and that office would be in place for two years at a cost of $7 million.
“What that means is if you have displaced homes and businesses and believe your property has been wrongly categorised or that fair value has not been offered for a buyout of that property, [those impacted residents] will be given a clear right of appeal to the new Cyclone and Flood Recovery Ombudsman,” Luxon said.
“[The Ombudsman would] push back on decisions that people think are unjust,” he said, saying the appointed person would make recommendations which would then need to be accepted by the likes of local councils or the Government before taking effect.
Luxon did not say exactly what upgrades were planned for SH5 and SH2 in Hawke’s Bay but said they would “upgrade” those highways, and funding was available in the existing $6 billion National Resilience Plan.
Christopher Luxon speaks at the Stortford Lodge sale yards in Hastings earlier on Monday. Photo / Warren Buckland
“We are going to make sure we have a world-class set of roads on SH2, SH5 and the Hawke’s Bay Expressway,” he said.
Both Labour and National have previously stated they will upgrade the Hawke’s Bay Expressway into a four-lane highway if they are elected.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told media, after Luxon’s announcement, that a cyclone Ombudsman was not needed and would add another layer of bureaucracy.
“The categorisation decisions are of course made by local authorities. If people are concerned about the processes that those local authorities have been following, then they do have avenues that they can pursue, including they can go through the existing ombudsman,” Hipkins said.
Luxon had claimed earlier that National also planned to speed up the EQC assessment process to determine land values, and cut down on “red tape” in the cyclone recovery.
Eskdale resident Connie Lilley has been trying to get her home - which was not flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle - moved out of Category 3 without success.
Eskdale resident Connie Lilley next to her home. Photo / Warren Buckland
Floodwaters stopped about a metre short of her family’s home behind the Eskdale Church off SH5 on February 14.
“My house didn’t flood, so I can’t see the point of wasting a good house during a housing crisis.”
She said they would accept a “fair payout” but she was very doubtful that would happen as their lifestyle block includes 10 acres, a house and a cattery business, and the buyouts will only likely include a buyout for the house and a small part of the land.
“So nine acres I would still own, but I can’t live there. What good is a lifestyle block if you can’t live there.”
She welcomed the announcement of an independent ombudsman who she would turn to if her categorisation was not overturned by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC), who are yet to come back to her categorisation feedback.
Pākōwhai resident Sue Averill is also trying to get her home removed from Category 3 and welcomed the introduction of a cyclone ombudsman.
The HBRC is looking to finalise Category 3 property decisions around mid-September and has said anyone who placed feedback by the cut-off date would receive a reply.
Tukituki Labour MP Anna Lorck said a Labour Government was committed to the recovery in the region.
“What I see as absolutely critical to keeping our regional economy moving ahead and growing good local jobs, is that we make sure locals and local businesses get as much of this work as possible – that’s a very real opportunity for Hawke’s Bay and how we must support our region to rebuild and go from strength to strength – now and into the future – that’s my priority.
“On top of the recovery and rebuild, there’s also been a record $290m of Government investment going into supporting ongoing economic development and we continue to see significant activity in the construction and building sectors with a major pipeline of work.”
