Tasman flooding: Council says most of its annual budget spent in a fortnight
Photo:
Supplied/ Jodie Reed
The Tasman District Council says most of its annual budget has been spent in a fortnight after being ravaged by heavy rain and flooding.
The clean-up has been continuing in the waterlogged district following a month of historic rainfall, culminating in last week's destructive storm that has caused widespread damage.
The costs have already been swelling with up to $500,000 being absorbed daily on fixing the local roading network.
The state of emergency is
expected to be lifted on Thursday
ahead of a one-month recovery transition period.
The council's community infrastructure and group recovery manager Richard Kirby told
Morning Report
the district 's infrastructure was facing a repair bill of "between $20-25 million".
He said about 40 roads remain shut.
"Up to 200 people, about 15 heavy machines and trucks, all over the district opening roads," he said.
"Hopefully we'll have them open in the next couple of weeks."
The most arduous obstacle for council contractors was the type of material they had to shift, particularly in the Motueka Valley.
"It's just like porridge slipping off the hills. As soon as they push it more comes down," Kirby said.
"That's an ongoing challenge. It's all on at the moment."
There were further challenges underneath slips where roads had been washed out, and bridge approaches, Kirby said.
In Kaiteriteri, a geotechnical assessment was needed to ensure a slip could be stabilised and the damaged road beneath could be reinstated.
Kirby said the busier roads presented the biggest challenges, compared to the quieter back-country roads.
He later told RNZ that the annual budget would likely be all gone by next month.
Earlier on
Morning Report,
he said the council would be requesting financial assistance from the New Zealand Transport Agency.
"We'll be making a bid to NZTA and seeing if we can get some extra subsidy.
"Although we're opening roads, we still have to go back and do permanent repairs. That'll probably take 18 months or even two years to complete."
The council said the critical stopbank in the Motueka Valley had "held up really" well following government-funded upgrades.
Some erosion of stopbanks had occurred in Tapawera area on the Motueka and Motupiko rivers.
"The river teams are up there just to see what urgent areas need repaired in the event we have another rainfall," Kirby said.
"They're prioritising what work they need to do to get some resilience into those riverbanks."
An apple orchard has flooded on SH60 in Motueka.
Photo:
SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ
A fruit and vegetable delivery company is warning of a spike to the cost of vegetables around the country following the destructive weather.
Produce prices would sharply increase in the coming months due to the knock on effects of widespread flooding, particularly in the Tasman district last week.
Co-founder of fruit and vegetable rescue company Wonky Box Angus Simms told
Morning Report
the effects would not be felt for another two to three months.
After a string of bad weather in recent weeks across the top of the South, growers have reported a delay in planting, he said.
"The immediate effects we haven't necessarily seen. Growers have been able to get into fields, they've been able to harvest. They've been able to make that work.
"Whereas actual planting delays will be happening here which is going to have an ongoing effect later on down the line."
Simms said the shortage would be likely be seen with green vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, and less so with root vegetables.
Produce had begun to "steady out" at a retail level following Cyclone Gabrielle.
"What we're seeing in the green space already is greens are slowing and values are coming back for growers," Simms said.
Fruit production is considered a jewel in the Tasman district's local economy and a major export industry.
Harvesting of fruit products including apples and pears finished a few months ago, Simms said.
"Anything that's already been picked and harvested has been stored," he said.
"The products that have been stored tend to be safe."
Some fruit growers were facing repairs of their infrastructure ahead of next season, Simms said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Freezing fog and black ice on South Island's State Highways 8 and 80
Fog on State Highway 8 presents a risk for motorists, NZTA says. Photo: Supplied / NZTA Drivers in the central South Island are being warned to be aware of freezing fog and black ice over the next few days. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said persistent freezing fog was likely for parts of State Highways 8 and 80 at least through until Sunday, along with hoar frosts and potential black ice on the roads. The area between Twizel and Tekapo on State Highway 8 was expected to be at especially high risk. NZTA maintenance contract manager Chris Chambers said fog was likely to linger all day in some places. "These types of conditions are not new for roads in the Mackenzie Basin area, but it is important that motorists take notice and adjust their driving for the conditions . Especially when there is an increased risk like this over a number of days," he said. "We are expecting the freezing fog to hang around all day in places and there is a significant risk of black ice, especially in the mornings. All of this means increased risk of accidents and injury. It's important that drivers take extra care and slow down in these conditions, increase their following distances and drive with their lights on." Roading contractors would be out checking roads and gritting or de-icing the affected highways over the coming days, he said. However, he advised people to avoid travelling if possible. "We have the option of closing sections of highway, or introducing restrictions, if the conditions warrant it. Our preference is to keep the roads open, and motorists can help us do that by driving with caution or staying off the roads if they can." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government launches $500k support package for flood-hit farmers in Tasman
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 [ 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 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. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
More rain for Auckland, clearer skies down south
There is a heavy rain watch in place for Auckland tomorrow. File photo. Photo: 123RF Heavy rain is heading towards Auckland and the east coast of the North Island, but the most sodden parts of the South Island are set for a reprieve from the downpours, says MetService. There is a heavy rain watch in place for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato north of Lake Waikare from 4amThursday through to 2pm, with localised downpours possible. Northland, where a suspected tornado hit Tuesday morning , has also been issues a strong wind watch for Thursday afternoon and evening. The wet weather is then expected to head east, with another heavy rain watch for Gisborne/Tairawhiti and Hawke's Bay north of Napier, starting at midday Thursday and lasting until 6am Friday. MetService has warned that streams and rivers may rise rapidly, with possible surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions. The weather agency has also warned that there may be snow on the highest part of the Desert Road on Thursday afternoon. Further south, areas such as Nelson - which are still cleaning up after multiple deluges in the past few weeks - will get a break from the current bad weather, with relatively clear skies for the next few days. After a wet and wild few weeks for the top of the South Island, drier days are finally in store ️ Follow along in real-time with satellite and rain radar imagery on our website: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
