Extreme weather events are no longer warnings. They are here – Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi

Flooded paddocks north of Kawakawa last month. Photo / NZME

Te Tai Tokerau has endured repeated extreme weather events. This demands a policy response.

In recent days, forecasts warned us of fallout from yet another cyclone, and the devastation of these events will be felt long after the weather has passed, just as it was when Cyclone Gabrielle hit.

Roads become impassable. Homes take on floodwaters. Lives are uprooted and whānau are displaced. Communities that are often Māori and rural are placed at risk of further isolation.

So, the question before us is simple: how will our communities survive events that are no longer rare, but regular?

In times of crisis, iwi and marae are the first to respond. And I want to be clear about that: Government is the second port of call, not the first. And that distinction matters.

As a first responder in Whangārei during the late January weather events, I saw for myself the amount of whānau who had the least bringing the most.

These whānau arrived with kai, clothes, aroha and their own hands, prepared to help. They brought all of this to the marae and came with solutions, not just needs.

Our communities know what is required in times of crisis. A good Government should be there to listen and respond.

The series of devastating floods in Te Tai Tokerau has once again shown where real strength lies, not in central government, but in people. We trust our marae to step up when others step out. This is not theory. On the ground, we have rapid, community-led responses to increasingly frequent and extreme weather events.

Yet people remain uncertain about what comes next.

Uncertain because the $6 billion commitment made in response to Cyclone Gabrielle is gone.

The safety net of the Climate Change Emergency Response Fund has been removed by our Government.

At the same time, emission reductions have been delayed, protections for freshwater, forests and biosecurity have been rolled back, and international obligations have been sidelined.

Current Government action has lowered our national climate change ambition in a time when our mokopuna need our ambition most.

Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi is the MP for Te Tai Tokerau.

The impacts of these disasters have had the power to change the trajectory of people’s lives. We must acknowledge that for what it is.

Shifting from emergency response to long-term resilience for Te Tai Tokerau must now be a focus.

I recognise there are already groups, organisations and people within our community who carry out this mahi. Yet climate change has forced this responsibility on to us all, particularly when, in my view, the Government refuses to take a preventative approach.

My own role, as the voice for Te Tai Tokerau, is to drive investment in flood protection, upgrade stormwater systems and ensure critical infrastructure can withstand extreme weather. It also means building homes that are safe, dry and outside high-risk flood zones.

In these moments, I turn to the likes of Te Whare Piringa o Te Po, who are working to deliver a night shelter for those living rough on the streets. Their efforts come after extreme weather events where whānau living under bridges were at greater risk during the floods.

Yet the challenge remains. These efforts require adequate resourcing, and Government becomes a barrier when it is more willing to pay for climate damage than to prevent it.

Too often, Te Tai Tokerau is last when it comes to infrastructure funding. Our roads are testament to that. Yet we are the frontline of climate change.

If this remains mismanaged, our mokopuna Māori will pay the ultimate price with flooded marae, eroded whenua and salt-laden urupā. We cannot shift our climate burdens on to our mokopuna and allow them to stand in our Parliament debating the best strategies to manage droughts, rising sea levels and famine.

Our rohe deserves investment. It is time for policy to match our current climate.

Mariameno Kapa-Kīngi’s career has traversed many paths, each grounded in service to communities with a focus on iwi Māori, hapū, whānau, māmā and wāhine. For Kapa-Kīngi, every decision is guided by mokopuna. Her work is driven by the understanding that actions taken now must ensure future generations will inherit a better situation than the one experienced today.