Pipiwharauroa

Mā PangoMā Whero

Cyclone Gabrielle has come and gone but in its wake it has left massive destruction and chaos here, in the Hawke’s Bay and the Coromandel. For us, over a hundred of our whānau have been displaced from their kainga right from Te Wairoa, through Tūranganui ā Kiwa and up the East Coast to Te Araroa.

Particularly hard hit are many of our rural communities. Eleven whānau Māori with a total of 44 people have been displaced in Te Karaka but, with help being provided to all Māori and Pākeha whānau who have been affected, there will be more. Leaders of the Te Karaka response team are Pimia Wehi, chair of Te Karaka Area School who grew up in the community and principal of the Kura, Renae Savage. The work they have done, and continue to do, is simply outstanding.

Currently a five stage process is being implemented through response, recovery and achieving resilience. Whānau have been relocated to emergency accommodation including motels and other available houses with the last of the whānau who stayed at Te Karaka Area School having now being successfully relocated. There are still whānau staying at the Waikohū Golf Club as well as with other whānau members, a commitment has been made that emergency accommodation will also be secured for them.

At least fifteen whānau in Uawa have been displaced and one near Te Poho o Rawiri. Janelle Lamont is working with the CE of Tāmanuhiri Tūtū Poroporo Trust, Doug Jones to confirm the total emergency housing need in Tūranga as it is believed that all up over 50 houses have been red or yellow flagged.

Whānau from across the rohe have offered family homes for use including STAND/Tu Maia who are accommodating a whānau of ten. Currently Willie Te Aho is focused on moving whānau from Te Karaka and other highly affected areas, including Te Wairoa, Tolaga Bay, Te Puia and Waipiro to Te Araroa, into temporary homes. While this is happening houses are being assessed and, for those covered by insurance, the insurers are being worked with, where possible, to have these homes repaired enabling them to return home. However, tragically, an estimated forty percent of the affected homes in Te Karaka are not insured as whānau simply cannot afford it which is most likely the case in many other of our communities.

By May 2024 a long term plan will be finalised that will include a managed retreat to higher safer ground for whānau who accept it. “This weather, in my view, is the new norm,” says Willie Te Aho. “So putting emergency housing in the same vulnerable spot is not my focus but I will have a team doing the site assessments now that communications are back up.”

Recognition goes to all of the support services who are assisting the local leadership including Civil Defence, Gisborne District Council, Tūranga Health, Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui ā Kiwa - Whānau Ora, builders who are undertaking assessments through to removing jib and the countless volunteers who have helped in so many ways from removing silt to cooking food for both those impacted and relief workers.

To date every iwi from Wharekahika to Te Wairoa has indicated their support in writing for a proposal with the following agreed action plans:

Willie Te Aho is the point of contact for Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited (TTHL) and will work through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) team in conjunction with Te Puni Kōkiri. Andrew Chrisp CE of Kāinga Ora will work with his counterparts and raise the issue with his minister and other appropriate ministers to use fast track legislation to assist with the establishment of houses that will be fully serviced as opposed to the 30 square metre Whare Āwhina that do not have internal running water and drainage.

Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited will work with relevant local government organisations to socialise the support that is needed in Tairāwhiti and with the New Zealand Defence Force to confirm its availability to assist with the building programme where possible.

The immediate plan is to provide emergency housing in the devastated areas until a long term solution for each whānau with red or yellow flagged houses for repairs can be worked out by Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited, Kainga Ora and others. The longer term solution will be a secondary focus and a phase led by Annette Wehi of Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited for iwi and Māori in our rohe from Muriwai north and Tātau Tātau and Ngāti Kahungunu will lead the solution for Te Wairoa area from Paritū south.

The immediate goal is the first batch of Whare Āwhina, that are basically sleep outs, with separate contained services for cooking, toilets and showers on site by the end of March with all temporary housing completed by the end of May 2023. This will be until more durable services are in place as there is a lack of confidence that the Gisborne District Council consenting process will be able to move at the pace TTHL is taking.

Phil Leather, principal owner in Builtsmart, has designed a simple fit for a purpose 30 square metre building that is easy to construct; reduces the involvement of trades except for an electrician and ensures that the overall timeline of three months is achieved. It is anticipated there will not be an issue of supply of material for this model because the intention is to reduce the components and the trades involved in its construction.

A team from Builtsmart in Huntly will be based at the Toitū Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Facility to build the first of six Whare Āwhina. At the same time they will teach and quality check a still to be recruited local team of three to build two more with the Builtsmart electrician being brought in as required. A 24 square metre steel framed model has also been developed for consideration.

Offers of support with builders and materials from some local builders and from outside of Tūranga including Ngāti Toa, Helmut Modlik of the Porirua, Wellington region have also been gratefully accepted.

The Toitū Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Facility planned targets of 50 houses in the first 12 months and, after 18 months, becoming fully functional and delivering on its full capacity of 144 to 150 houses a year will not be affected by the building of the Whare Āwhina on its site although there are ongoing concerns over the supply of materials for the houses. Neither will the existing building crew at the facility as they will not need to be involved.

“In the interim the commitment is there to ensure the current targets of the PDPA will not be affected as it is important that the iwi housing prototypes are delivered and learnings are delivered for wider benefit,” says Willie. “However, in some areas where the infrastructure, including roads and bridges are impacted, it is acknowledged there will be delays.”

As whānau move out of the Whare Āwhina, the houses will be repurposed for emergency housing or they will have the opportunity to purchase them at cost and the funding repurposed which is the case for the existing emergency housing funded through HUD in 2021. The commitment to using these Whare Āwhina for housing will continue beyond this current crisis.