Government launches $500k support package for flood-hit farmers in Tasman

RNZ News

5 days ago

Minister Todd McClay on the Parkes Eighty Eight Valley Farm.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
The government has announced a half-million-dollar support package for [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/567002/clean-up-continues-for-tasman-district-in-wake-of-widespread-flood-damage flood-hit farmers, growers and foresters, with Tasman's mayor warning the total repair bill from the back-to-back floods is likely to exceed $100 million.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Todd McClay visited forestry representatives, farmers and growers across the battered district on Tuesday, after announcing another $300,000 for the mayoral relief fund tagged to the rural sector, with it also matching $50,000 contributions from Horticulture New Zealand and Federated Farmers for the horticulture and pastoral sectors respectively.
The funding comes as the district-wide clean up continues - alongside a warning more heavy rain is expected in the weeks ahead.
McClay said about 200 landowners had come forward looking for support so far but the number of farms and orchards affected would be greater than that, as assessments by Ministry of Primary Industries staff continued.
A bridge over the Quail Valley Stream that was overtopped in the June flood.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
He said there would be a range of effects, from areas where there was localised and moderate damage to other areas "where some farms won't be able to go back into production any time soon if at all".
Eighty Eight Valley farmer Ian Parkes estimated the damage to his property alone would cost around $200,000. Both the Eighty Eight Valley stream and Quail Valley stream run through the Parkes' farm, with around 13 kilometres of land bordering both waterways.
"Every flood gate has gone, we have 25 and they have all gone...there are certain areas of the farm there is no stock movement and the problem with no stock movement is we lose our feed, we can't control it."
Around 60 tonnes of rock was put in parts of the river to protect farm sheds and a bridge over the Quail Valley stream, but at least half of it was washed away in the floods.
During the first deluge, the rising water overtopped the bridge and left Parkes stuck on one side for several hours with his wife on the other, only able to cross once the waters had receded.
Eighty Eight Valley farmer Ian Parkes.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
A fifth-generation farmer in the valley, Parkes said it was the worst flood he'd seen, causing more damage than the last big flood in 1983. When it began raining again last Friday, he called it a day much earlier than he usually would.
"I just thought, bugger, I just had a shower, went to bed because I was buggered... you couldn't take any more."
He's made the decision to slaughter and sell some stock, anticipating feed pressure in the coming months.
"We've actually got stock going away today, trading stock, lambs that were bought from Southland and are going to Hawke's Bay this afternoon so they have had a good stopover, it was quite frustrating we weren't able to capitalise on the opportunity."
Further down the valley, sheep and beef farmer Donald Ladley is also busy cleaning up after the back-to-back floods.
"After the last rain we can't get tractors and vehicles around on hillsides, it's not safe to take even an ATV on the hillside where the sheep mobbed, we've probably lost around 10 hectares of ground."
Eighty Eight Valley farmer Donald Ladley.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
In one block, silt had covered eight paddocks, with two left and Ladley said he could be faced with having to sell stock.
It had taken two years to reinstate fences on another part of his property damaged by previous floods, with the river washing away the land several times.
"A bulldozer just turned up at lunchtime to start working to try and push some gravel back to secure some banks so we might be able to put some fences back up, or it'll have to be temporary fences, but temporary fences and ewes and lambs aren't very good.
"It makes you wonder what the summer's going to bring forth when we've had so much already rain."
Federated Farmers national president Wayne Langford said the successive floods in the last three weeks caused significant damage, with farmers in a race against time to clean up before spring.
"Farmers are used to dealing with weather events, as you can imagine, but this one was extraordinary in a number of cases of schools, extraordinary damage. We're a month away from the busiest time of year on farm with calving and lambing and we need to get these properties cleaned up as quick as we can and back into action."
HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott said many growers had suffered extensive damage to their orchards, infrastructure and access.
The Quail Valley River has scoured out land either side of it, taking some of the road with it.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
"Growers are resilient and used to challenges, but this recent weather has been particularly challenging due to the number of events in close proximity to each other."
Tasman Mayor Tim King has warned more bad weather is on the cards and people should keep that in mind during the clean-up.
"We're locked in a weather pattern that's been repeating for itself for the best part of two months. We've had two very significant events during that period and dodged one in the middle, I'm concerned given the comprised nature of our roading network and our rivers network, and the sodden nature of most of the region."
MetService and NIWA confirmed the likelihood of more weather events through the end of July, into August with a large amount of rain.
"We're very much hoping that they don't come to the same extent as the ones we've just been through."
Tasman Mayor Tim King.
Photo:
Samantha Gee / RNZ
He said the council was focused on repairing roads, access to properties and the river network, especially where stopbanks had been compromised, work which had been made more urgent ahead of heavy rain expected in the extended forecast through the end of July and into August.
"But given how wet the region is, how compromised the river network is, even events that don't reach the level of rainfall we've received over the last two or three weeks have the potential to be quite impactful."
In the meantime, Civil Defence are still visiting those in cut off areas as more than 40 local roads remain closed and there are around eight properties in the district without power.
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