NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Housing advocate takes aim at Gisborne council over Cyclone Gabrielle displacement

Other
25 May, 2023 02:12 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Cyclone Gabrielle has hit Gisborne with State Highway 35 near Mangatuna being completely cut off due to a bridge being washed away. Photo / George Heard
Cyclone Gabrielle has hit Gisborne with State Highway 35 near Mangatuna being completely cut off due to a bridge being washed away. Photo / George Heard

Cyclone Gabrielle has hit Gisborne with State Highway 35 near Mangatuna being completely cut off due to a bridge being washed away. Photo / George Heard

Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy reporter

A man on a mission to house people displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle has painted a grim picture of Tairāwhiti’s worst-affected residents in a fiery email to the district council.

Toitu Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Ltd director Willie Te Aho has worked tirelessly to house people in temporary homes following the cyclone, while many wait for repairs to their permanent residence.

Te Aho told Gisborne District Council by email that more than 40 whānau from Te Karaka were living in motels or overcrowded spaces following the storm, many of whom were struggling mentally.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

”I’ve been living in Puha behind Te Karaka away from my immediate whānau since I got off the Te Matatini stage on February 25, 2023, and drove to Te Karaka the next day,” he wrote.

“Then on February 27, [I] met with 64 people who were still living at Te Karaka Area School two weeks after they were smashed.

”They had low morale. No certainty. No hope.”

But Te Aho also took aim at the council’s handling of those doing it tough, saying the organisation’s system was “racist and broken” and had left people behind.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council was working too slowly on consents, he said, and was not used to working in an emergency.

He detailed an in-person meeting he had with the council’s building services manager Ian Petty earlier in the month, which included Toitu Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Ltd’s architect.

”I wanted to make sure that [the architect] had no obstacles with putting these houses on the land for our whānau in desperate need,” Te Aho said.

Iwi housing advocate Willie Te Aho. Photo / Andrew Warner
Iwi housing advocate Willie Te Aho. Photo / Andrew Warner

At that meeting, Te Aho explained he wanted the houses to be built under exemption, but was told by Petty they should be completed through the normal consent application process because of the permanent nature of the buildings.

Although reluctant, Te Aho agreed on the basis the applications would be personally handled by Petty.

Te Aho said his architect then worked on a full building consent application only to have the council later request fuller reports and assessments.

”This is what I was fearful of, Ian. That when you are not directly involved we are back to the death by 1000 cuts that is the normal process.”

Petty replied to those frustrations, saying the council had received exemption applications despite making it clear at the in-person meeting that a building consent was required.

Te Aho then accused the council of not caring about the mental health of Māori who were living in sheds and motels, saying the system was creating poor outcomes.

”I am not going to approach you for any more ... consents for our whare manaaki.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann responded to that email on Petty’s behalf saying Te Aho’s correspondence was “completely unacceptable”. She also took exception with “multiple instances of vulgar language” and staff being called racist.

Read More

  • Cyclone Gabrielle: Gisborne aerial photos show scale ...
  • Cyclone Gabrielle: Gisborne mayor blasts land-use report ...
  • Cyclone Gabrielle: Forestry company Juken New Zealand ...
  • Cyclone Gabrielle: Search for missing Gisborne man ...
  • Cyclone Gabrielle: Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz says ...

The council would not respond to any further communications from him that were threatening, abusive or contained vulgar language, she said, while warning that failure to comply with obligations under the Building Act could result in enforcement action.

Te Aho’s tense relationship with the district council has been fraying for some time.

In March, he said the organisation was getting in the way of rehousing displaced families, while calling for legislative changes that would enable an iwi-led response to natural disasters.

Earlier this month, he opposed the council being given $38.8 million for silt removal, in his capacity as Te Aitanga a Mahaki lead negotiator.

He said the money could be better used and utilised by iwi.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Toitu Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Ltd is a unique collaboration between East Coast iwi established last November to address the region’s housing crisis with affordable homes.

By May 30, the company says it will have 100 whare manaaki installed from Pōtaka in the north to Wairoa in the south.

· Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand|christchurch

Golden retriever rescued after being stuck on a cliff

New ZealandUpdated

Dramatic rescue mission to save pet dog trapped down Canterbury cliff

08 Jul 05:00 AM
New Zealand

'Unprecedented' changes around Antarctic have implications for NZ

08 Jul 04:55 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Dramatic rescue mission to save pet dog trapped down Canterbury cliff
New Zealand

Dramatic rescue mission to save pet dog trapped down Canterbury cliff

08 Jul 05:00 AM
Court reveals mystery of missing phone in Erin Patterson murder trial
World

Court reveals mystery of missing phone in Erin Patterson murder trial

08 Jul 04:55 AM
'Unprecedented' changes around Antarctic have implications for NZ
New Zealand

'Unprecedented' changes around Antarctic have implications for NZ

08 Jul 04:55 AM
Police search for Michael Tautari, urge public not to approach him
New Zealand

Police search for Michael Tautari, urge public not to approach him

08 Jul 04:36 AM
'Brazen' gang attack: Mongrel Mob members avoid jail
Rotorua Daily Post

'Brazen' gang attack: Mongrel Mob members avoid jail

08 Jul 04:31 AM

Latest from New Zealand

Golden retriever rescued after being stuck on a cliff

Golden retriever rescued after being stuck on a cliff

Two-year-old golden retriever Remmy rescued after being stuck on a cliff for two hours. Video / George Heard

Dramatic rescue mission to save pet dog trapped down Canterbury cliff

Dramatic rescue mission to save pet dog trapped down Canterbury cliff

08 Jul 05:00 AM
'Unprecedented' changes around Antarctic have implications for NZ

'Unprecedented' changes around Antarctic have implications for NZ

08 Jul 04:55 AM
Police search for Michael Tautari, urge public not to approach him

Police search for Michael Tautari, urge public not to approach him

08 Jul 04:36 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search