Woolworks scour reopens after $50m rebuild
The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project.
Six months on from Cyclone Gabrielle, despite everyone’s best efforts there is seemingly no end to the problems.
Wairoa mayor Craig Little says the scars and wounds around Wairoa are far from healed and almost on a daily basis more are occurring.
What the future holds is anyone’s guess.
“We are doing our best, but we can’t beat the weather,” says the frustrated mayor.
Little is full of praise for the work of the transport agency, Waka Kotahi, which he says is doing its best. However, most of the repairs are temporary and it’s been a case of getting roads open rather than doing major repairs.
“There are three major bridges that need repairing and in one case, every time we start to do the repairs, the rain comes and we have to stop work,” Little told Rural News.
“Just recently we had three new major slips come down in the space of a few days. It is so soul destroying because we do lots of hard work and then there is another incident and we are back to square one.”
The other worry in the minds of many farmers, according to Little, is what the summer will bring. He says some fear a drought similar to what happened after Cyclone Bola back in 1988, which was devastating for the region.
As well as the woes of the rural community, the mayor and his council are still coming to grips with dealing with the people in the town who lost their homes. He says the government funding for flood protection is most welcome and will give people certainty that they can rebuild and have a secure future.
Little believes that if this same package was offered after Cyclone Bola in the 1980s there would not have been the same degree of flood damage that there was with Gabrielle.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
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