Annie Phillips property in Rissington was flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle. Although the water did not quite reach the house, most of the land was devastated. Photo / Paul Taylor
Annie Phillips property in Rissington was flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle. Although the water did not quite reach the house, most of the land was devastated. Photo / Paul Taylor
The force of Cyclone Gabrielle appears to have permanently shifted the Mangaone River about 20 metres closer to the home of Annie Phillips in Rissington, cutting off the easy access they had to their land in the process.
If they want things back to how they were, they willlikely have to get consent to re-route the river, and pay to do it all themselves.
James Pocock reports on the plight of a couple who say they’re running out of options.
As the floodwaters receded in the days following February 14, the landscape of rural Hawke’s Bay appeared changed forever.
Temporary lakes popped up, eroded hillsides sent silt flying down streams and into homes, trees and detritus snarled over chokepoints.
For Annie Phillips’ and her partner, they quickly realised the course of the Mangaone River - which ran parallel to the boundary of their property - had shifted.
Instead of the river flats being 46 metres from their house - it was now 23 metres. Silt settled between 1.5 to 2 metres deep at the bottom of their property where the flats are, and enormous trees littered the scene. They still do.
“There is that much debris down there, it is not funny. The silt is over my head,” Phillips said.
Annie Phillips and her partner say they cannot see themselves returning to their Rissington property devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle, but they have no buyout offer and no funding to address the damage before selling. Photo / Paul Taylor
There were some small blessings. The house was higher up on the hill and untouched by floodwaters.
Two mares, a foal and 29 cattle they kept all managed to get up the hill to escape. And the couple were insured so they got paid for fencing and their stable.
But the landnow cannot be grazed and clean-up costs for the property are estimated to be more than $100,000, Phillips’ partner, who has owned the land for more than 20 years, said.
Phillips says they were told they would have to pay for the consent and work to reroute the river themselves if they wanted to restore their land to how it was.
They felt, when part of their land was initially put into Category 3, that their best option was to take a government buyout and find a new home.
Although the water did not quite reach the house, most of the land was devastated. Silt settled between 1.5 to 2 metres deep at the bottom of the property on the river flats. Photo / Paul Taylor
However, Phillips said Hawke’s Bay Regional Council didn’t notify them later when categorisation was removed and the land was left uncategorised.
They felt that change in categorisation had denied them the only option left.
Chris Dolley, HBRC group manager of asset management, said a small part of the property that did not include the house fell within the Mangaone-Rissington Category 3 area before Category 3 was finalised on October 3.
“The Category 3 boundary was later refined, and the small section of this property was removed from the Category 3 area,” Dolley said.
Satellite imagery shows how Cyclone Gabrielle shifted the Mangaone River flats about 20 metres onto the Rissington property of Annie Phillips and her partner. They will have to foot the bill if they want it restored to how it was. Photos / Land Information NZ
“Even if the affected part of the property had been identified as Category 3, the property would not be eligible for the voluntary buy-out programme, as that programme is focused on affected dwellings. The dwelling at this property was not affected by flooding during Cyclone Gabrielle.”
Phillips said their next step was to go to a lawyer and see where they stand.
“We don’t know where to turn.”
The pair still believe they will have to leave the property that they loved - they don’t feel particularly safe being beside a river now - but they still want to stay in Hawke’s Bay.
The Mangaone River, which ran parallel to the boundary of the property, shifted and reduced the distance of the river flats to the house from 46 metres to 23 metres. Photo / Paul Taylor
“Once all this is settled, I think we will probably end up moving. We need land because we breed and raise horses,” she said.
She believes it is likely they are not the only ones in the same situation.
“There are probably more people out there than just us who are in the same predicament and don’t know where to turn.”
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
