The development of Hawke’s Bay’s Regional Recovery Plan is making progress following the submission of Locality Plans from each of the region’s five Councils late last month.

Keriana Brooking, Interim Recovery Manager for Hawke’s Bay, says “the Regional Recovery Agency received first iteration Locality Plans from the four Councils just over a week ago covering the region’s four local authority areas – Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay, Ahuriri/Napier, Heretaunga/Hastings, and Wairoa.

“In addition to these four Locality Plans, the Recovery Agency also received a first iteration Resilience Plan from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, with all councils across Te-Matau-a-Māui working closely with their communities and their Māori, Iwi and Hapū partners throughout the planning process.”

Each of the Locality Plans has a critical role to play in ensuring the region is well-positioned to access all funding available for recovery through Budget 2023, which is due to be announced on 18 May, says Ms. Brooking.

“Through the Locality Plan development process, communities across Te-Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay have had the opportunity to outline their specific recovery needs and priorities. The Regional Recovery Plan will be developed based on analysis of the Locality Plans, ensuring that the Regional Recovery Plan aligns with the high-level themes, priorities and actions across the region.

“Now that the region has moved beyond the emergency response phase, the Regional Recovery Plan will play an important role in setting out the key actions, priorities and objectives across Hawke’s Bay over the short-term recovery phase – helping us to build back safer, stronger and smarter over the long term.”

The Regional Recovery Agency remains on track to deliver a first iteration Recovery Plan to the Lead Minister for Hawke’s Bay Recovery, Hon Kieran McAnulty, by the end of June.

“The Agency has already completed its initial analysis of each of the Locality Plans, and met with the Council’s Locality Plan Leads yesterday to discuss the high-level themes arising from each of the documents.

“The next step for the Agency is to work with our Oversight Board members to review these high-level themes, and to develop an initial draft of the Regional Recovery Plan, which we hope to be in a position to start engagement and testing on toward the end of May,” says Ms. Brooking.

Ms. Brooking says the development of the Regional Recovery Plan is just one of a number of longer-term streams of work currently underway across the region.

Response support to address the more immediate relief needs across the region is ongoing, and continues to be provided by both central and local government via the Ministry for Primary Industries, Mayoral Relief Funds and the Hawke’s Bay Disaster Relief Fund. Local Councils also continue to support communities in many ways including rates relief, silt and flood-damaged waste removal, and repairing local roading networks.

“We are acutely aware of the ongoing uncertainty, and want to remind people who may be feeling anxious, stressed or overwhelmed, to reach out and seek support from the appropriate services.”

ENDS

For more information, contact:

Hannah Heberley

Shanahan Group

hannah@shanahan.nz / +64 21 272 8021

© Scoop Media