Tararua Rural Support Trust: What’s been happening

Huge slip damage to Coast Road through the Marainanga Gorge between Ākitio and Pongaroa east of Dannevirke.

Cyclone Gabrielle has been an unprecedented event for the Tararua District. The help and support for affected farms and families will be ongoing for days, weeks and even months.

During an adverse event such as Cyclone Gabrielle, Jane Tylee, as Tararua Rural Support Trust (RST) co-ordinator, is part of the Civil Defence response team. Jane co-ordinates with her local RST team and other rural community groups and gives a really local, rural perspective to the larger Civil Defence group. This co-ordination involves hours of phone calls and on-farm visits.

Jane has a team of farmers from around the district who have been invaluable in providing information from local areas. This has led to quick and efficient reporting to relevant agencies, such as Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM). Jane attends meetings with CDEM and provides local information relevant to farms and farmers in our area.

Around 500 farms have been visited in four days. RST worked alongside Tararua District Council and iwi doing welfare checks and assessing what the issues/needs are moving forward. The farms visited were assessed as being the highest priority due to access, power and isolation issues, based on preliminary information.

Ongoing work

RST has been co-ordinating support from volunteers and other agencies to maximise help where it is needed.

Two working bee groups will be helping out on multiple farms this week. RST will be monitoring the forecast before these groups head out.

RST has had a lot of offers of help from people both within and outside our area, and we are hugely grateful! We need to be mindful that help is still going to be needed in the weeks and months ahead as well, not just in the cyclone’s immediate aftermath.

Check on your neighbours – phone or text them and, if it is safe to do so, visit them in person,

Monitor the weather forecasts; be mindful of road conditions and rising river levels.

Please get in touch if you need support or assistance. RST is a team of local farmers ready to help. Don’t be afraid, scared or ashamed to get in touch. Everything is treated with respect and confidentially. Call 0800 787 254 or send a personal message to our page.

Helpful links and contacts

Rural Support Trust Tararua

• Phone Jane Tylee on 0800 787 254 or 027 367 3672
• Facebook

Federated Farmers Feed line – grazing and feed available; grazing and feed needed

• 0800 FARMING or 0800 327 646

Tararua District Council

• Phone: 06 374 4080
• Web: tararuadc.govt.nz or Facebook.

MPI Grant for Pastoral Farmers – help with repairs to stock-water infrastructure and fencing

• Phone: 0800 00 83 33
• Web: www.MPI.govt.nz/cyclonerecovery

National Feed Co-ordination Service

Civil Defence Payment information