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Damaged roading in the Hawke's Bay in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo Credit: New Zealand Defence Force.
Peter Andrew is AgFirst’s man in Gisborne and has insightful knowledge of what’s happened in the Tairawhiti region.
Speaking to Rural News from his office in the town, he described the impact of cyclone Gabrielle on the region as “variable”. He says some places suffered little damage, while others were hit terribly badly.
Andrew says the horticulture land on the southern side of Gisborne was largely protected by a stop bank, while north of the city crops were “nailed”.
“In some orchards, the water has come up over the fruit.”
In terms of sheep and beef farms, Andrew says the main problem will be access, with bridges washed away, which will take time to repair. He says there will also be slips on farm, tracks damaged, fences down and some stock losses, but he doesn’t expect these to be great.
Andrew says there are problems for farms north of Tolaga Bay where road access has been cut. He says there are also problems for hill country farms south of Gisborne.
Andrew says a meeting of farmers and growers was held in Gisborne to try and get a picture of the scale and nature of the problems. He says, as communications are gradually restored it will be possible to get a more accurate picture of the scale of devastation, then to set priorities and fix the damage.
Nearly three years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke's Bay apple orchardist Paul Paynter says they are still doing remedial work around their orchards and facing financial challenges.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The road between Napier and Wairoa is on the mend.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
There was much theatre in the Beehive before the Government's new Resource Management Act (RMA) reform bills were introduced into Parliament last week.
The government has unveiled yet another move which it claims will unlock the potential of the country’s cities and region.
The government is hailing the news that food and fibre exports are predicted to reach a record $62 billion in the next year.
The final Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction has delivered bad news for dairy farmers.
One person intimately involved in the new legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) is the outgoing chief executive of the Ministry for the Environment, James Palmer, who's also worked in local government.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says a new report projects strong export growth for New Zealand's horticulture sector highlights the industry's increasing contribution to the national economy.
