‘We’ll be fighting it’: Red-stickered cyclone-hit residents send clear warning as Govt delays decisions

Isabel Rahui is adamant she and her whānau will return to live on their land in rural Hawke’s Bay, destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle, even if it’s red-zoned.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been committed to restoring the property, shifting debris and levelling off the mass of silt that covers the once-lush riverside plot.

Rahui and neighbour Mauriina Franklin say they are investing their own money into clearing their land because they are sick of waiting for the Government to decide what areas damaged by February’s cyclone will be deemed unsafe to live in.

They are just two of thousands of people becoming increasingly anxious and frustrated about their futures after the cyclone condemned their homes and destroyed their livelihoods.

Graves at the Rissington cemetery are slowly being dug out from the silt that flooded it during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor

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Hawke’s Bay cyclone recovery ministerial lead Meka Whaitiri believes it’s likely at least one area in the region will be deemed uninhabitable and acknowledges the distress being caused by the lack of answers being given to residents.

The land owned by Rahui and her whānau sits on the southern side of the Mangaone River along Puketiriti Rd, northwest of Napier. The nearby bridge was lost in the floodwaters, isolating communities on the northern side, such as Rissington, Patoka and Waihau.

Before the cyclone, the property’s three dwellings were sheltered by several trees in a quiet, secluded setting not dissimilar to many other rural Hawke’s Bay communities.

Now, it’s more akin to a desert of dirt. All three dwellings are gone – their neighbour’s house, one of several that have been red-stickered, is almost fully submerged in silt.

Only a towering walnut tree remains. Rahui says her family have spent hours digging to its base to give the tree some air, but it may be all for nothing.

A tree with such significance to Isabel Rahui's family is all that remains. Photo / Adam Pearse

The tree is special to the family. Generations of ashes have been scattered at its roots. Afterbirths, as per Māori custom, have been buried beside it.

Rahui, of Ngāti Hineuru, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Tūwharetoa, says she’s endured too much frustration living without answers on the future of the land that’s been in her whānau for 50 years.

“Mentally, it’s draining. It’s a slow killer because no one knows any direction,” she tells the Herald.

“We’ve had [community] meetings and things like that ... they’re there to answer our questions, but none of them have been answered.”

She’s committed to defending her right to live there again, even if both central and local governments tell her not to.

“Mark my words, we‘re coming back ... we’ll be fighting to the end.

“We’ll go and take the council, if we have to, to court to put another retainer wall up here or some sort of stopbank that’s going to secure us in this area.

“This is not just a block of land, there’s an attachment here.”

Rissington resident Mauriina Franklin surveys the damage to her house of 13 years. Photo / Adam Pearse

Rahui is under no illusions about the challenges of rebuilding but says she’ll explore transportable housing until more lasting solutions are found.

Franklin, who has lived across the road for 13 years, says she isn’t willing to give up her land easily and has already set about digging away the mud and debris that suffocated her home.

“You want to kick us off in our land, where are we going to go, and don’t be throwing money out at us again because the money is no good.”

Her home was her rural paradise – a thriving network of fruit and vegetable gardens, alongside a couple of beehives – and meant she rarely needed urban luxuries.

Now living in town out of necessity, Franklin is becoming more desperate by the day to come home and salvage what she can.

The rush to return isn’t being felt everywhere, however.

Warwick Marshall has lived in Eskdale for 72 of his 75 years. But he’s ready to leave the only home he’s known after the cyclone led to the Esk River flooding homes and claiming lives.

Flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle left Eskdale and the Esk Valley almost unrecognisable. Photo / Supplied

“It’s going to be a dustbowl for the foreseeable future ... the whole valley has been compromised,” he says.

“What am I going to do with five acres of silt?”

Marshall moved to the area as a 3-year-old in 1951 – early enough to know well the stories of a similar flood in 1938.

He understands why the Government must take its time planning for the future, but he believes local authorities haven’t kept communities informed regularly enough.

“We’ve heard nothing and so what’s going to happen, we don’t know ... there does seem to be a lack of overall leadership.

“It’s all of these unknowns compounding which is causing a lot of anxiety among a lot of people.”

Four generations of farmer Tom Clark’s family have lived in Eskdale since 1896.

A man delivers supplies to a stranded mate across the Esk River in Eskdale soon after the cyclone. Photo / Paul Taylor

He suspects there will be areas that will be limited to farming and growing, but believes people who wish to live there should have the option.

“Well, yeah, I think you should have the choice if you want, as long as you’re aware [of all the risks].”

He too is critical of the lack of communication from local authorities, saying the need for answers is growing stronger by the day.

“If you’re an orcharder or grape grower or a cropping guy, you need to know now –within the next couple of weeks, really – because you’re going to start planning for next year.

“I understand that [local government] have got to try and get their ducks in a row, but they also need to get their arses into gear.

“If I could choose, I would probably say you’ve got to build a certain height above the ground or carry on doing what you’re doing, orchards and vineyards and things like that ... just don’t live there.”

He’s spoken to a few families who want out. Others are still reeling after escaping the cyclone.

Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson told the Herald last week it was likely areas damaged by the cyclone would be divided into three categories, which ranged from enforcing minor changes to ruling out any rebuilding.

Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson says the delays to community consultation have been unfortunate. Photo / Warren Buckland

He said it was unfortunate that the process had been delayed. Robertson had initially signalled communities would be consulted with by the end of the month.

Now, he expects that consultation to begin in early May.

Local cyclone recovery ministerial lead Meka Whaitiri is in regular contact with local mayors and is generally happy with the communication efforts councils have made with their residents.

She appreciated the toll the delays were taking on the people of Hawke’s Bay but said it was important the right decisions were made.

“The last thing you want to do is cause more trauma because [you’re] ill-prepared [or] you don’t have any answers.”

Whaitiri said she would be surprised if at least one Hawke’s Bay wasn’t red-zoned, or put in category three.

Hawke's Bay cyclone recovery ministerial lead Meka Whaitiri. Photo / Warren Buckland

However, she estimated that less-affected areas would likely be informed first as such decisions were less difficult to make – something also signalled by Robertson.

“It might be, we don’t have the zones [categories] yet or we can talk to you about the zones, but we haven’t got the data on these last two zones.

“But we’ll tell you about the process and we’ll also underscore where you, the affected community, will have input.”