Wairoa faces tough choices on flood protection as deadline looms

Reremoana Pene (from left), Lena Te Wairata Pene, Tania Pene, Kurawari Panere, Matewai Pene and Matekino Pene stand in front of their Māori land which is Option 1D of the Wairoa flood protection proposals. Photo / Linda Hall

Emotions are running high in Wairoa. There are decisions to be made around protecting the town from future flooding. Recent proposals involve sacrificing land and homes to do so. Linda Hall went to Wairoa and talked with an affected whānau.

There’s one thing everyone agrees on in Wairoa. Something has to be done to stop any part of the town from flooding again.

However, what they can’t agree on is what that is – and time is running out.

Wairoa District Council must present a working plan to the Government by the end of March in order to keep and use the $70m granted to the town for flood protection.

The Wairoa Flood Protection Stakeholder Group presented two proposals for a floodway cutting through a problematic kink in the river that failed during Cyclone Gabrielle to the community at a meeting on November 5.

Both options 1C and 1D, put Māori land, several homes, and the showgrounds in the direct path of the potential floodway.

Option 1C will potentially impact 16 houses, 6ha of Māori whenua (land) and 18ha of general title land while Option 1D would potentially impact six homes, 18.4ha of Māori whenua, and 26.6ha of general title land.

Former Hawke’s Bay Mayor Lawrence Yule was appointed Crown manager by the Government in August.

He said the partners of the Wairoa Flood Protection Stakeholder Group – Wairoa District Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Tātau Tātau o te Wairoa Trust – have engaged with mana whenua, including whānau and property owners potentially impacted by Options 1C and 1D.

However, shareholders in Māori land in the path of one of the options are not happy.

The cabbage tree on Pene whānau land, which is part of Option 1D of the Wairoa flood protection proposals, has generations of their babies’ umbilical cords and placentas buried under it. Photo / Linda Hall

Sisters Maureen, Matekino, Reremoana, Tania, Matewai and Lena Te Wairata Pene say they know something has to happen but Option 1D, which involves part of their generational land, is a bad idea.

“We don’t want our land to go but I’m hearing from the community that it’s the preferred option,” Maureen Pene said.

“People are saying it’s better to save the people rather than the whenua. That’s okay for them to say when it’s not their land. We may be a small part of this, but the pain is still the same,” she said.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s just too fast – it’s not just about the land and housing it’s about the people and some people are going to get hurt.

“The people planning this can’t say what effect this will have on the land. It’s a surreal feeling and we are all emotional.”

Although the sisters smile and laugh throughout the discussion, they have their hands to their hearts as they point out tapu sites and sites of significance on the land that would need to be used for one of the floodway options.

“Over there was a waka repair, and see that cabbage tree? Generations of our babies’ umbilical cords and placentas are buried under it,” Matekino Pene said.

“It makes us all feel heavy-hearted.”

Kurawari Panere, who spoke at the meeting, said some of the people affected felt “threatened”.

“They have basically been told it’s up to them to save the town and that if one of the plans doesn’t go ahead ‘we might lose the money’.

“Yes, there must be a solution, but that solution must come from the people of Wairoa.

“What’s going to happen to our displaced people if one of these proposals happens?

“Are they going to land 100 miles away from their whenua?”

Mayor Craig Little said the process had only just started.

“There is still a lot of discussions to be had. Nothing is predetermined and no one has been threatened,” he said.

He said both options were technically viable and “we have to listen to the engineers”.

“This is not a land grab. There are winners and losers, and we must protect Wairoa from flooding again. We never want to go through that again.

“If we don’t do something [about flooding risk] the insurance companies will walk away from us [as a town].”

He said the next step was continued engagement with the community and that Yule was doing a good job but there was a tough road ahead.

Yule said they were a long way from making a decision.

“The cold reality is that we are trying to find a way to avoid more homes going into Category 3, and there are limited options.

“There is still lots of work to do and we are well engaged with the land and homeowners.

“I wouldn’t like it if it was my land either.

“We haven’t developed a framework yet. But it could be that owners lease the land and get paid a rental. There are a number of options. Nothing is set in concrete, and we are open to hearing options.”

Yule said he was incredibly sympathetic to the concerns raised by some in the Wairoa community.

“The Crown and the councils have no intention of alienating Māori from their whenua through this process, and these rights remain protected by Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1991 which promotes the retention of land in Māori ownership.

”As we’ve emphasised all along, we are actively wanting to work with impacted landowners and the local community to find a technically viable and community-supported solution, to help ensure the safety of the Wairoa community for generations to come.”

Kōrero is ongoing.

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