Less than four months ago, the East Coast was under siege by a wooden enemy - tens of thousands of tonnes of slash and debris dominating rivers and ploughing through communities in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Today, some relief: $10 million from the new Budget being put towards removing up to 70,000 tonnes of woody debris from river and catchment systems in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay.
Minister of Forestry Peeni Henare made the announcement tonight, saying the clean-up needed to get a move on "straight away".
"I want to make sure that this recovery is one for the whole community. This will involve council, iwi and experts working together closely to prioritise and remove as much woody debris as possible from rivers and catchments to reduce further damage to key infrastructure and communities," he said.
“Local contractors will be engaged to assist with debris removal, chipping and haulage.
"The $10.15 million from Budget 2023 also includes funding for slash management traps to contain debris from entering waterways in the first place. These are critical short to medium-term measures that will reduce the risk of more infrastructure damage from any further movement in this material during future weather events.”
The announcement comes two days after the release of Outrage to Optimism, a report following the Ministerial Inquiry into land uses, more widely known as the "slash inquiry".
It was headed in part by former National Cabinet minister Hekia Parata, who highlighted the report's most crucial ruling - to protect the East Coast, a meaningful response is urgent.
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$10 million - for now
The fund is going to Gisborne District and Hawke's Bay Regional Councils, who will invest it in "short to medium-term measures" that reduce the risk of more materials moving in another Gabrielle-esque disaster.
In other words, the slash from the cyclone is finally being lifted out, but the long-term measures needed to prevent future woody inundations - not just on the East Coast, but nationwide - are a whole other task.
Henare said the effects of erosion are estimated to cost Aotearoa New Zealand more than $250 million a year.
“Not only does it damage productive farmland but as we have seen from the devastation of Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle it can also have a significant impact on infrastructure and communities further downstream,” he said.
"The Government is also continuing to focus on initiatives that help reduce the impacts of severe weather events by investing $25.2 million over the next four years to protect around 21,000 hectares of hill country farmland across Aotearoa New Zealand.
"We are seeing an increase in the frequency and severity of flooding events across the country due to a changing climate and we need more of the right trees in the right places to mitigate against the effects of climate change."
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