The unprecedented and widespread impact of Cyclone Gabrielle has the Ministry for Primary Industries mobilising resources from across New Zealand to help farmers deal with the immediate clean-up and feed supplies in the weeks ahead.
Nick Story, director for MPI, said due to patchy communications down much of the North Island’s eastern coast from East Cape to Napier, the level of exact damage (pakaru) is still unclear.
But is not unclear is the sheer scale of the disaster the agency is coming to grips with.
“We had been well prepared in advance, working with industry groups and government agencies heading into this event. The declaration of a national state of emergency enables even greater co-ordination and strength to efforts, marshalling resources from across the country to where it will be most needed,” Story said.
He said the event was Mother Nature at her toughest, and the impact it will have on rural communities (hapori taiwhenua) is still playing out as the storm unwinds its way southeast.
“Many farmers and growers are only now able to get out and check, and for some it is still unsafe. Undoubtedly this will have a significant impact on crop and stock losses over coming days, along with roofs being ripped off, milk unable to be collected and power outages.”
He said major infrastructural damage, including the loss of the big Transpower substation in Hawke’s Bay, is likely to have a lengthy effect.
“We are talking not hours but days and even weeks, and that has a significant impact.”
Meat processing plants, packhouses and even electric fence systems on farms will all be compromised by the resulting supply uncertainty.
“The good thing is that on the back of previous events there are already funds there to access now. They are live and active.”
He said a key concern will be sourcing adequate feed supplies for livestock, but the feed loss situation will take time to fully assess, given access difficulties.
MPI is restarting the national Feed Working Group, a partnership with sector groups to monitor feed availability
“This level of isolation between regions is rare, it is one of the most significant events in many years,” Story said.
Cyclone Bola has been a standard comparison, but its impact tended to be limited largely to the greater Te Tairāwhiti region.
Story urged farmers, orchardists and landowners needing help to contact MPI’s help line: 0800-787-254.
