February 15, 2024
Marae warned get ready for future storms
Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber says the country can’t keep taking billion-dollar hits from weather extremes like Cyclone Gabrielle.
Communities through Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti yesterday marked the first anniversary of the storm that devasted wide swathes of the country, killing 11 people and forcing more than 10,000 people out to their homes.
Mr Barber says Maori communities felt they were left to fend for themselves – but marae and communities rose to the challenge.
“Our marae need to be prepared for the next one – its not a matter of if, but when – and so, helping support marae resilience. There are some national reviews about to put their findings up. We know that there was a poor response to many of the Maori communities,” he says.
Mr Barber says a year on some families are still iving at marae or in makeshift housing, and infrastructure damage is massive.