Land-use planning, hazard management, risk and flood protection will be the focus of the work of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s new Cyclone Recovery Committee.

Today the Regional Council formally approved the formation of the committee which will coordinate and direct the Regional Council’s initiatives in support of environmental and community recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Cyclone Recovery Committee Chair Sophie Siers says the committee will focus on the initial recovery and also look to the future to ensure that decisions are serving the long-term intergenerational needs of the community.

“This event has left the region in no doubt that planning for future development is critical. The infrastructure that has served us so well for decades now needs to be considered from new perspectives.”

Climate resilience will be an important consideration for the committee, and an increase in Tangata Whenua representation to ensure full coverage of the affected areas across the region.

The committee’s primary responsibility will be the oversight of the development and implementation of the Regional Council’s Resilience Plan, being prepared as part of the work required by the Regional Recovery Agency, along with locality plans from the other councils.

The plan will be comprehensive and inform the locality plans of other entities as well as making recommendations to Regional Council on work programmes to support the recovery of our environment.

The Regional Council’s Cyclone Recovery Committee replaces the Environment and Integrated Catchments Committee and will pick up its responsibilities with regard to policy development and environmental monitoring and research.

The development of the Regional Council’s Resilience Plan will be led by the recently appointed Regional Council Recovery Manager, Louise McPhail.

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