Ōakura community BBQ brings storm-hit Whangaruru residents together

The communities of Whangaruru and Ōakura were severely impacted by the January weather bomb. Photo / Ngatiwai Trust Board

About 100 people turned out to a community barbecue at Ōakura during Waitangi Weekend.

The event was aimed at connecting people impacted by the January 18 weather bomb that impacted the coastal beach settlement and other communities along the Whangaruru coastline.

Ōakura’s Nena Rogers, who supported Mokau Marae organisers, said the idea was to bring people together.

“We wanted to people to be able to talk about their issues. It always helps for people who have been in a situation like we have to be able to talk about it,” Rogers said.

She said it had been two weeks of hard work since the damaging storm swept through the region.

“And there’s lots more to come.”

About 100 people attended an informal BBQ at Ōakura on February 8. Photo / Nena Rogers

A summer’s worth of rain fell on the Whangaruru coast in just a few hours in the early morning darkness of January 18.

The area was under a Civil Defence state of emergency, access into the area cut off and homes and civic facilities red- and yellow-stickered.

Rogers said the BBQ aimed to connect the community from those around local marae to bach owners at the beach.

Members of the New Zealand Response Team that helped during the state of emergency attended, providing food.

Te Kāmo butchery proprietor Chris Martin, who donated 200 sausages for the BBQ, said the storm had been devastating for the community.

A lot of people had chipped in to help.

He said a number of his customers were in the impacted area and he wanted to help by supporting the BBQ.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.