[As published in November/December BayBuzz magazine.]

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Recovery Agency (HBRRA) was set up by the Matariki Governance Group (representing the region’s councils, iwi and post-settlement governance entities and the Chamber of Commerce) post Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Tasked with planning and coordinating post-cyclone recovery efforts and working effectively with government to secure the required support and resourcing for the region, the HBRRA, together with councils and PSGEs, has been going at pace for over 18 months now. If one thing stands out from that time, it’s the value of effective partnership relationships in driving progress in recovery.

The aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle presented Hawke’s Bay with unprecedented and complex recovery challenges. Impacts were wide-reaching and continue to be felt across whānau and communities, and across our infrastructure, environment and the local economy. 

While we acknowledged from the outset that full recovery is a long-term game, a sustained sense of urgency and an emphasis on maintaining momentum across the various workstreams have been critical components of our progress to date. Underpinning all areas of recovery is a focus on ensuring efficiency in the work being undertaken and affordability for our communities, both of which rely on securing external funding assistance to the region – an important part of our role.

As we continue to look to the future, it’s timely to reflect on the good progress made by our region to date and how this can inform our ongoing recovery. 

Progress highlights include: 

• Voluntary buyout of more than 150 severely affected residential properties by Napier and Hastings councils.

• Numerous insurance claims settled and private rebuilds undertaken.

• Clearing of over 2.2 million cubic metres of silt and debris from productive land, and the clean-up of over 1.3 million cubic metres of woody debris from beaches, rivers and other areas.

• The first wave of roading repairs to slips, culverts and bridges on both local roads and state highways, along with the commencement of larger bridge replacement and road repair projects.

• Initial repair of damaged stop banks and repairs to other damaged infrastructure.

• Temporary housing solutions provided for those requiring that assistance, and other forms of support provided to those in need.

Alongside these physical works and community support initiatives, much planning and design work has also occurred. Damage and risks to infrastructure have been assessed in areas from electricity and telecommunications to road, rail and stopbanks; plans for repair and resilience devised; and procurement strategies and work programmes put in place for delivery. Thinking has also turned to broader areas of focus such as lessons learnt which can inform climate adaptation, building toward greater housing resilience and addressing water security and resilience.

Partnerships and working collaboratively have been central to the progress made. The region’s councils have worked together on recovery initiatives more closely than ever before. They have also collaborated with iwi, Taiwhenua organisations and Post Settlement Governance Entities (PSGEs) on recovery programmes, and to ensure a joined up regional approach to engaging with central government. 

Collaboration has occurred with businesses and community groups and with government agencies and the NGO sector, as whānau, communities, businesses and other organisations have sought to address their own recovery needs. This partnership approach continues to be as relevant today as it was in the initial days following the cyclone. 

Our role as the HBRRA has been to support this joined up regional approach and to provide additional capacity to councils, iwi and PSGEs and others on recovery and resilience issues. Our existence has been made possible by government funding; our ongoing work enabled by constructive government collaboration. 

The region’s partnership with central government has been critical to what has been achieved to date. From the earliest days of the crisis, funding and welfare support was made available from Government and its agencies to assist the region. Funding was provided to support the removal and management of silt and debris, roading repairs, flood protection works and property buyouts in Category 3 areas. 

A year ago, the region submitted a Briefing to Incoming Ministers document to the new government, following the general election. This outlined the critical recovery and resilience needs still facing the region nine months on from the cyclone, and it sought to engage Government in a partnership approach to helping the region succeed in its recovery journey. 

The Government was highly receptive to this and has embraced this approach with the region, providing renewed support across a range of recovery needs and welcoming the opportunity to work with a joined-up region. Ministers from the prime minister down have engaged extensively with regional leaders on what the region’s needs were and have responded positively with tangible action and support. Additional funding was provided to support the clearance of more silt and debris from productive land, rivers and beaches. The Budget contained specific funding for local road recovery works ($91 million earmarked for Hawke’s Bay in year one), additional support for severely affected marae communities through the Kaupapa Māori pathway and funding to provide extra capacity for cash strapped councils, to help speed up recovery projects. 

Promised help to reduce red-tape and regulation has seen Orders in Council passed to streamline and confirm the consenting pathway for flood protection works and to make recovery works on rural land a permitted activity again. Ministers have also been agile in responding to emerging needs in the region: at the behest of the region, when Wairoa was again hit by a severe weather event in June, ministers reallocated $3 million, initially provided for cyclone-related silt and debris, to help with the clean-up of household waste in flood-affected Wairoa properties.

There is no question that without the support of and the leadership shown by the Government thus far and the way it has been prepared to engage with the region through a partnership approach, much less recovery progress would have been made, and the path forward would be less clear. Gratitude must be expressed to the government, and a range of ministers who have engaged constructively and taken decisions in Hawke’s Bay’s best interest, as well as the officials who have supported them. It is also important to acknowledge our local MPs who have very ably and enthusiastically facilitated the government response. 

As the region seeks further support in its recovery journey, and as its leaders contemplate opportunities such as those presented by the Regional Infrastructure Fund and Regional Deals, there is a sense of optimism about what is possible for the region. 

Wendy Harvey, HBRRA Oversight Board.The HB Regional Recovery Agency is charged with coordinating a recovery that is locally led, regionally coordinated and government supported.
www.hbrecovery.nz