March 20, 2023
Wairoa iwi funds clean up head start
The chair of Wairoa post-settlement governance entity Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa says people in the district can’t wait for government help to trickle in.
The trust is underwriting $2.5m so work can continue on hundreds of flood damaged homes.
Chair Leon Symes says says iwi can respond more quickly to the needs of the community.
He says a lot of funding has been announced, but the bureaucracy to deliver it could take some time.
“We’re just saying to our whānau we will underwrite that, give you some certainty, assurance that no one is going to be left out so it’s all about alleviating some of that stress whanau are under because politicians announce all this funding but then operationally how do you get access to it,” Mr Symes says.
The priority is the silt clean up, which needs to be done quickly to prevent long term damage to housing stock.