Central Hawkes Bay Devastation

It seems an awful long time ago now, especially with the good weather returning, however it was only in April of this year that many communities in Central Hawkes Bay were devastated and isolated by a coastal storm event some had labelled a one in five hundred year event. Of course nature cares little for statistics so events like this one can happen at any time. At the time much of the national focus was understandably on Christchurch, and so assistance for this event was a matter of neighbours helping neighbours. At the time we saw many photos of swollen water courses, washed out roads and mountains of silt around dwellings, but what was not appreciated was the wide spread damage to farm land around the region.

Some farms lost up to 80% of their useable pasture which effectively meant that the farm as it was then operated, was no more.  We had projects in the vicinity that were effected and one particular Council planner had the sense of humour to send us a photo he took of one of our marketing signs next to a washed out stream crossing. Of course the engineer and contractor who assisted and constructed the entrance were at no fault as the design parameters for this entrance were far below the actual scale of water that unfolded in those two days.   As well as volunteering to get on the end of a shovel we were also interested in assisting in a professional capacity although at the time were unsure how this would unfold. In time an opportunity did present itself with a large block very much in the eye of the storm. This farm did operate as a regular sheep and beef enterprise however following this one event the owners came to the sobering realisation that the current land practices were to be historical.

The land now needed to be retired to forestry and as a result some re-arranging of the existing land titles were made to accommodate these wishes. These particular areas were probably once covered by indigenous vegetation which served as a protection against the ravages of nature and although it may have taken some time to learn, it seems the new use of these areas will reflect  these times again.  This would not however be a solution for every block affected by the storm; however some mixture of commercial forestry and standard farm practices would be most likely for the coastal properties hit by this event.  With changing land practices, thought has to be given to easement provisions for access and for water provisions for those areas to remain for supporting stock production.  At the same time there may be an opportunity to protect native vegetation through the QE II covenant provisions.  If you would like to discuss any of these possibilities feel free to give us a call.