Tairāwhiti is starting to reconnect with the rest of the country as the rebuild following Cyclone Gabrielle begins.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Justice and Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan said "an incredible amount of work has been done to get the region back online, which is starting to pay off”.
"There has been an incredible amount of work done over the last few days to enable better connectivity," she said.
"We're seeing many more pockets of 4G and 3G pop up throughout Tairāwhiti; WiFi has been restored in plenty of homes."
Employers in the region say they’re desperate for support. (Source: 1News)
While the area is still doing it tough, she said connectivity has been a massive morale boost for the region.
The region is struggling with water, however, which is still being restricted.
"We're still in an environment where critical conservation is required; we've got some severe breaks on our key water lines," Allan said.
"A lot of repair work still to go, but we're seeing a lot more connectivity which has been fantastic for morale."
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