From tsunami evacuation to awards for under-$25 wine to Napier Port volumes up to NKII hub to support whanau to Flaxmere food co-op closes to local winner of National Young Grower Award, here are a few announcements of the past week that might be of interest.
HB tsunami evacuation zone map updated
The new single blue tsunami evacuation zone shows all areas that could be affected by a tsunami, making it easier for everyone to understand where to self-evacuate from if a tsunami threat occurs.
“We (HBCDEM) have changed from our previous three evacuation zones to just one blue zone,” said Shane Briggs, Acting Group Manager Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management.
“This is the best way to represent the potential risk of a tsunami and to clearly show in blue which areas need to self-evacuate following a long or strong earthquake.” Mr. Briggs added, “We advise that everyone takes the time to check the updated tsunami evacuation maps and remember the message: if an earthquake is long or strong, get gone. Move immediately out of the blue zone.”
“The tsunami evacuation zone map is a practical tool to help remind people of what to do if they feel a long or strong earthquake,” said Mr. Briggs. “Everyone who lives, works, or spends time in a coastal tsunami evacuation zone should have a personal emergency plan that includes their tsunami evacuation route.”
The move to a single blue evacuation zone is part of a national effort to standardise how tsunami evacuation zones are communicated, and Hawke’s Bay joins other regions, such as Bay of Plenty and Waikato, in adopting this approach.
Over the coming months, the HBCDEM team will be working closely with communities to update the tsunami hazard information boards located in coastal areas. We will also be installing new signage to reflect the updated evacuation zones and make sure that the information is easily accessible. “In the meantime, we encourage all residents to visit our updated online maps, learn more about tsunami hazards, and take steps to prepare an evacuation plan as part of your household emergency planning,” Mr. Briggs concludes.
For more information on tsunami evacuation routes and safe locations, and the updated tsunami evacuation zone map, HBCDEM encourage people to visit www.hbemergency.govt.nz/hazards/tsunami
HB scores multiple New World wine awards
Church Road won gold medals for its Church Road Chardonnay 2023 and Church Road Syrah 2021. Clearview Estate, Mission Estate, Selaks and Trinity Hill were other gold medal winners.
Complete list of winners here.
Napier Port trade volumes up
For the financial year ended 30 September 2024, total annual containerised cargo volume increased by 3.4% and bulk cargo volume increased by 9%, compared to the same period a year ago.
Chief Executive Todd Dawson said: “Our annual volumes reflect the continuing regional trade recovery following the Cyclone Gabrielle event in February 2023. Containerised volumes for the year were driven by the ongoing bounce back of refrigerated exports of fresh produce, apples and meat, together with higher exports of wood pulp and timber as Pan Pac’s production mills continued their recovery ramp up.
“Bulk cargo volumes were driven by solid log export volumes, that included Central North Island windthrown logs and unprocessed logs from Pan Pac, particularly during the first half of the year.”
Full release on trade volumes here.
New Te Ara Mātua Hub in Napier to support whānau
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc and its health and wellbeing advisory group Te Tumu Whakahaere o Te Wero (Te Wero) have opened the second Te Ara Mātua Hub in Hawke’s Bay, based in Napier.
Says NKII: “The Te Ara Mātua Hub is a whānau-centric space that prototypes a Ngāti Kahungunu-led approach to supporting and caring for whānau within their community.
“The primary aim of Te Ara Mātua is to prevent mokopuna Māori and their whānau from entering the Oranga Tamariki system by introducing a Te Ao Māori perspective and bolstering additional Te Wero support with a view to divert whānau to alternative pathways. It is our desire to keep whānau together and reunite those within the system with their whānau, hapū and iwi. To enable this,
“This means supporting the people we identify as trusted whānau, hapū and community so they can respond to our needs before crisis occurs.”
Flaxmere food co-op trial suspended
“Sustainable HB has made the difficult decision to suspend the Flaxmere Food Co-op trial after six months of operation.
“When the local New World closed in February 2024, Sustainable HB and Flaxmere locals organised to supply the community with regular, healthy, and affordable kai. With Foodtogether.co.nz on board for online ordering, the local initiative resulted in kete kai of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered weekly to the Flaxmere Community Centre for pickup by any Hawke’s Bay local. These boxes on average were 30% cheaper then supermarkets and were priced from $15 to $40 depending on size.
“While the organisation has decided to suspend this initiative due to slow growth in orders, it says that, thanks to this project, the new networks and experience gained have established strong foundations for future resilience projects. The project also identified that food poverty and related need is greater than expected, future projects will focus on either free or very low cost options.
“While it’s disappointing to have to suspend this service, we see it as a temporary setback,” says Emma Horgan, CEO of Sustainable HB. “The Flaxmere Food Co-op is just the first of several food resilience projects we hope to trial in the region, with other local initiatives now at the scoping and planning stage. We hope to be able to announce more details of these exciting projects shortly.”
“Ms Horgan acknowledges the contribution of partners and volunteers to the Food Co-op, including Flaxmere College, Manaaki Mai o Pāharakeke, Flaxmere Planning Committee, Hastings District Council, and Food Together.”
Local wins Young Grower of the Year
Horticulture NZ runs a national competition each year for Young Grower of the Year.
Selected last week, this year’s winner is Hawke’s Bay’s Grace Fulford. Grace is quality and compliance manager at T&G Global.
Grace, age 27, grew up around her family’s Omahuri Orchard in Hastings. She initially headed to university to study engineering but decided that was not for her. She worked in the family business before joining T&G three years ago.
Congrats Grace!
