Rural East Cape communities are calling for increased government support as they continue to lead storm recovery efforts following last week’s severe weather.
Te Araroa Civil Defence’s Tash Wanoa says the event has had an unprecedented impact.
“This is our worst event to date.”
“It really took a real hit to us emotionally, mentally, even physically, knowing that our lives are never going to be the same.”
Landslips across the rohe over the past week have caused widespread disruption. Despite this, the communities of Te Araroa and Wharekahika continue to lead their own recovery efforts.
He pūtea āwhina mō ngā marae
Today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a funding package to support flood recovery.
“The government is making available $1.2m to support affected regions, with immediate and pressing needs for the mayoral relief fund. This is, of course, on top of the annual contribution that is already being made to this fund.”
Luxon says marae have been exceptional in their support efforts.
“They have provided shelter, food and care to those in need, and I cannot speak more highly of them,” he adds.
“A further $1m will be provided to reimburse marae that have provided welfare in response to this weather event, to allow them to replenish and continue to build their resilience.”
MP for Ikaroa Rāwhiti, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, says while they are grateful for the support, this is simply not enough.
“Kei te mōhio au kāre rawa atu tērā e nawhe ki te mahi i ngā mahi katoa o tēnei wāhi,” she says.
“I rongo au ko te utu tuatahi, arā ko te cleanup, atu i te 20 miriona tāra. Nā reira he tīmatanga noa iho te pūtea a te kāwanatanga.”
Ka noho tonu rānei te kāinga hei āhuru mōwai?
The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather events have left locals questioning the safety of their kāinga.
Tangaere-Manuel says up to 300 people were placed at marae across the rohe this past week, while Wanoa says there is a growing concern among locals.
“We’re talking about generational connection that’s been massively disrupted, and we’re looking at potential generational disconnection from our whenua.”
“We no longer feel safe, and that’s probably the hard part. But as to why we keep coming back and keep going through all of this - it’s about home and our people.”
Wanoa says civil defence teams worked through the night as the storm hit.
“The emotional devastation for us was real.”
She acknowledges response and recovery support, particularly the Manaaki Matakaoa fund and Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngāti Porou.
“Those two funds have been really critical to us getting resources on the ground. We have been given, you know, full access to just go in by what we need and get what we need done.”
She says the community is currently providing its own support, with many homes without power, gas or functioning water pumps.
“We’re honestly, we’re knackered, you know, we’re nearing burnout when it comes to our teams.”
“We don’t mind doing that, but we need support a lot of investment in the infrastructure in our region, and we need to actually invest in our local civil defence teams, so that they can continue to do what they need to do.”
Access to Wharekahika remains closed, while the road to Te Araroa is open only for scheduled convoys. Wanoa urges people to stay off the road unless travel is necessary.
