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Neil Bateup is reminding farmers and rural communities to contact their local Rural Support Trust for support in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo Credit: Bryan Lorenz
Look after your wellbeing and take a moment to check on your neighbours.
And if you need advice and support, call your local Rural Support Trust, your rural professionals, or industry groups and supply contacts.
That’s the message from Neil Bateup, chair of the Waikato and South Auckland Primary Industries Adverse Event Cluster.
“We are all here and connected to support you to recover from this event,” he says.
Bateup, who also chairs the Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel Rural Support Trust, says it’s important to plan ahead when it comes to animal feed, water, animal health and moving stock.
“The risk of slips is not yet over, take care travelling on roads, traversing hills, and check bridges for structural damage after flood water recedes.
“Looking ahead, this unusual weather pattern is likely to continue for the summer, so clear debris, silt traps and check culverts to ensure they remained intact.”
The Cluster covers the South Auckland and Waikato regions and was set up in 2016 to bring together agencies from the primary industries, central and local government to prepare for and coordinate responses to adverse events.
It continues to meet, plan for and coordinate recovery support for farmers and growers following the Auckland Anniversary weekend flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle.
“It has been a pretty rough month for our farmers and growers in Auckland and Waikato, but also throughout much of the North Island,” says Bateup.
“There has been widespread rainfall and localised flooding across the region, power outages, slips and the roading network has taken a hammering in places.
For Support, Contact:
Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254 or visit www.rural-support.org.nz
Information about dealing with floods at www.rural-support.org.nz/Adverse-Events/Flood
DairyNZ: www.dairynz.co.nz/business/adverse-events/flood/
Beef + Lamb New Zealand: beeflambnz.com/news-views/flood-support
Farmstrong www.farmstrong.co.nz
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.
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