Wairoa War Memorial Hall shifts from hosting Matariki celebration to flood shelter

In 24 hours the Wairoa War Memorial Hall went from hosting kaumatua for Matariki, with music and games and their monthly Kahungunu Executive (KE) health checks, to becoming a flood evacuation centre.

Staff from KE and Enabled Wairoa along with volunteers and Hinemihi and Taihoa marae became a moving wheel of people keeping evacuees well-fed, and warm with agency support.

On Thursday, residents began moving back to their homes if they were allowed to start the clean-up or to Hinemihi or Taihoa if not.

Enabled Wairoa chief executive Shelly Smith and KE general manager Sarah Paku with their respective teams manned the evacuation centre in the hall.

“It was like round two after last year but this time we have comms and power,” said Smith.

“As soon as we got the alert, we started to come in and make sure families were OK first and then set up the hall.”

About 100 homes were flooded and 400 properties and homes were impacted in some way, she said.

Neat stacks of ex-tropical Cyclone Gabriel slash on Kopu Road were remobilised by floodwaters on Wednesday. Photo / Ann Revington

Marie Tuahine from Tairawhiti Community Law was one of those flooded in her Apatu Street home at the top end, fearing the worst.

Like many residents she went down to the river and saw they were working on opening the bar late Tuesday afternoon, and felt reassured.

On Thursday morning in the hall, she was waiting to hear when she could return to her home to assess the damage and start the process of an insurance claim.

“When I saw them working on the bar opening, I thought ‘good, we will be alright’.

“I wish they would have done that opening earlier on Tuesday.”

Roading contractors said cars were floating at Karaka and Sydney streets and Wairoa was lucky the river forced its way through the sandbank or the flooding would have been even worse. Photo / Ann Revington

Kaumatua in the hall wanted to see regular dredging of the Wairoa River, believing the river had become too shallow.

Kaumatua Hine Kohn and Hine Farrell said local government needed to talk to the old people about management of the river and the bar.

Others said if you took the combined value of the homes that were flooded and multiplied it by 100 that would have bought a lot of digging machinery and river bar management.

Wairoa Riverside Motor Camp’s Sharron Solomon and Bill Dicken were just days away from reopening after the devastation of ex-tropical Cyclone Gabrielle last year.

Deja vu for Sharron Solomon and her husband left, Bill Dicken and resident camper Averill Power at Wairoa Riverside Motor Camp. Photo / Ann Revington

The yellow-sticker was gone and council had given the all clear to reopen, said Solomon.

With Gabrielle the flood waters had reached the top step to their home.

On Wednesday, it reached the first step but they still lost their laundry driers and were back to taking away the silt.

The alarm went off at 5.30am on Wednesday, and campers helped to hook each other up to get out on the road before they parked at the old New World carpark.

“This has delayed us by a week but I feel for the people who have lost their homes- it is awful and devastating.

Roading contractors on Kopu Road sweep up the silt and debris left behind by Wednesday's flooding in Wairoa. Photo / Ann Revington

“You can’t do anything about the river but you can do something about the bar.

“400 homes and properties- that is a lot of disruption.

“Many won’t have insurance especially if they are pensioners,” said Solomon.

From the grounds they see a section of river wall was also swept away.

“The regional council should have had this bar working and a permanent bar open.

“Metservice had given us an orange weather warning, well in advance.”