Government kicks in with help for farmers after storm

The Government has announced that extra funding is being made available to help farmers affected by the heavy weather of last week.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has today officially classified the storm damage around the Coromandel, Hauraki District and Franklin Ward as a medium-scale adverse event.

“The damage here is significant and the recovery phase will be a challenge for some badly affected farms,” says Mr Guy, who visited a storm-damaged farm at Kawakawa Bay today.

“The impact of the Tasman Tempest storm brought heavy rainfall ranging from 350 to 850mm, and is estimated to have been a one-in-80-year event.

“Hauraki-Coromandel farmers were well prepared and are used to heavy rain, but there is still a lot of silt and debris to clean-up. Some farmers have lost livestock and supplementary feed where it was stored in paddocks. However there was also a large enough break in the rainfall for Fonterra to collect milk and prevent losses," Mr Guy says.

“Extra funding will now be available if required to coordinate support through the Waikato Rural Support Trust who are already on the ground with Federated Farmers assessing needs to help plan recovery activities.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries is also working with the Ministry of Social Development to activate Enhanced Taskforce Green, volunteer workers, and in extreme cases there may also be Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) available to farmers in severe hardship."

Farmers are urged to contact the Waikato Rural Support Trust on 0800 RURALHELP, their industry body, their accountant, or Work and Income to talk through their needs.

Coromandel clean-up

(Photo: Damage to bridge off Rangihau Rd in Mercury Bay.)

Here in the Coromandel, most of the damage has been from slips and flooding. We had about 850mm of rain over the five days of the storm.

Staff from our Council are assessing damage to the district - with the most affected areas being Tairua, Onemana, Opoutere and Whangamata. The priority has been to assess public reserve land and infrastructure (toilets, water and wastewater pipes, roads). We've also been visiting private property owners who have been in touch to let us know they have been greatly affected.

Essential road repairs and earthworks to remove slips and repair damage are underway. We've visited 30 priority sites and there are 12 private properties between Whangamata and Tairua that we have done structural engineering assessments on this week. Four of those properties have been deemed uninhabitable in the short-term.

All of the information we're gathering on the damage is being assessed and a timeframe for remedial works is being planned.

Department of Conservation (DOC) facilities and infrastructure in the Kauaeranga Valley has been badly damaged and DOC has closed all tracks, huts, campgrounds and the Valley Road from the Visitor Centre onwards until further notice. The Visitor Centre will remain open during this time.

Property owners who live outside the district have been coming to assess any damage to their homes.

"We're encouraging absentee homeowners to contact their neighbours, their bach or holiday home manager or whoever takes care of their property to check over their place in the following days and weeks," says our South-East Area Manager Garry Towler.

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