July 20, 2020
Flood disruption too common in north
A Ngāti Hine member says a lack of investment in infrastructure is drowning Māori communities in the north.
Parts of the Whangārei CBD as well as other Northland townships were flooded when 200 millimetres of rain fell on Saturday.
Slips and wash-outs closed roads, and the far north was completely cut off.
Huhana Lyndon blames years of inaction by local government that leaves communities like Moerewa at risk of flooding in heavy rain.
"Some of our roads, they're just pakarū with a deluge of water, which of course cuts rural communities off from essential services and an inability for our Māori communities to connect back with civilisation," she says.
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