Community drop-ins start on Friday for people whose homes have been classed as Category 2 or 3 by the Government.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz says letters will be sent out this week to more than 1000 individual property owners who’ve been placed in Category 2 of the government’s risk classification. There are also 17 properties so far in the highest risk Category 3, with the majority of them in Gisborne city.

Provisional maps released last week show the areas affected.

“We want to ensure the community has the ability to ask the questions that are important to them.

“There are two drop-ins at Council Chambers, one this Friday and one on Monday where people can come with their questions.

“We’ll also be rolling out a series of community hui starting at Te Karaka School on Sunday from 3-5pm and will be advertising others across the region shortly, so please go to a community hui near you.

“The local knowledge we gain from these sessions will be invaluable.

“We’ll also have subject matter experts on hand so you can ask them questions particular to your situation.

“We are aware some communities have ideas as a group, this is also a good time to share those.”

Gisborne District Council is working with property owners to share information as it comes to hand from the Government regarding what the timeline and mitigation options are for those homeowners in Category 2.

“Even though we don’t have all the answers, we still want to start the conversations with our affected communities.

“We will continue to share any information from the Government as soon as we receive it around these affected properties.”

• Friday 16 June, 2-4pm Council Chambers
• Sunday, 17 June, 3-5pm, Te Karaka School
• Monday 19 June, 12-2pm Council Chambers.

More community hui are being organised based on demand, keep an eye on Council’s Facebook page for updates.

To find out more about the Government’s categories and provisional maps see Council’s website.

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