We can't build what we had before, because what we had failed, writes Cam Wylie. Photo / Warren Buckland
OPINION: The long process of rebuilding Hawke’s Bay after a cyclone has begun, our challenging geology laid bare.
Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay is a dynamic physical environment characterised by floods, drought, earthquakes, and even volcanoes.
The geology is young and our location at the converging of tectonic plates creates earthquakes. This we know only too well.
The rocks have not had time to harden and so are less resistant to erosion and more prone to slip, especially in heavy rain after long wet periods, exactly like we have just had, culminating in Cyclone Gabrielle.
Our whenua (land) is also prone to instability, landslides, liquefaction, and displacement, being shunted up, down and sideways from earthquake events.
There is actually no “stable” area on the East Coast. Some places are just “easier”, others “more difficult” to engineer.
Far-flung communities are separated by road networks that traverse rugged terrain, with steep hills, deep gullies and river and stream crossings.
Road networks dating back to the days of colonisation and early road-building have often followed natural features such as rivers or saddle crossings, to penetrate inland to ship goods.
Many of today’s roads are upgraded wagon tracks from early last century.
We must remember, in the face of arguably one of our greatest disasters, that resilience is a long-term game. Even though it may not feel like it right now, Gabrielle will fade into a moment of time.
A key challenge we will all face once the adrenalin wears off is to maintain the energy and commitment to push through on creative, meaningful action.
Even when we are all tired and fed up with it all. We are in a marathon, not a sprint.
The thinking that needs to be brought to solving a challenge like our rebuild needs to be local. It has to extend beyond political cycles.
Iwi have this view and timescale in much of their planning. Their focus is on whenua and tangata, land and people, and that’s where everyone’s focus should be, too.
Cyclone Gabrielle is the regional development opportunity to frame the response and commit to greater resilience. But what does that look like?
Our challenge is not to simply replace what we had, because what we had failed, but to challenge the status quo. This requires deep critical thinking.
For our infrastructure rebuild, the design, construction, and thinking around the environment and future needs has to be exceptionally good - otherwise it will be an incredibly expensive, long, drawn-out affair that still leaves critical gaps in our defences.
We also need to make the most of the social opportunities that the rebuild affords. The demand for skilled labour needs to be met by our people first. This should be a non-negotiable.
It’s a massive job ahead. Let’s be clear; building back better, safer, and smarter is no easy task. It will be very difficult, and will require tough decision-making that recognises the elements of our dynamic physical environment.
Once again, the principles of te ao Māori (the Māori world view) holds promise.
Through that lens the environment is alive.
To some, the braids of the river reflect the lashing tail of the taniwha (water spirit, monster). For Ngāti Hau, the peoples of the Whanganui River, the river is a living thing with its rights enshrined in law, extending from the mountains to the sea.
This view forces holistic thinking that considers te taiao (the natural environment), the way we live within it, and how we respond to it.
If we do not build back better, in whatever form that may be, we should accept that large events will disrupt our lives, or our children’s lives, or our children’s children’s lives.
With all the tragedy, loss, and cost that comes with these things. Without question that will happen.
- Cam Wylie is a geotechnical engineer and CEO of RDCL, a geotechnical/geophysical consultancy business in Hastings. He is the Co-Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Engineering Leadership Group - established following Cyclone Gabrielle, and has several professional memberships including Chartered Professional Engineer and Chartered Member Engineering NZ