January 27, 2026

#economy Peter Ratahi Cross: Climate Pressures Force Hard Choices for Tairāwhiti Businesses

Dale Husband Posted On January 27, 2026

Dale Husband #economy Peter Ratahi Cross: Climate Pressures Force Hard Choices for Tairāwhiti Businesses

Long-serving Māori agribusiness leader Peter Ratahi Cross says severe weather, repeated road closures, and climate instability are now forcing some of the hardest long-term decisions Tairāwhiti businesses have ever faced.

As a trustee and influential chair across multiple Māori agribusiness boards, Cross brings both scientific training and deep cultural insight to understanding how climate-driven disruption is reshaping regional resilience. He says the cumulative impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and successive weather events are no longer short-term shocks, but structural challenges.

For businesses operating in Gisborne and the wider Tairāwhiti region, the ongoing disruption is beginning to influence decisions about whether they can realistically remain. Cross says uncertainty around access-particularly when roads close repeatedly without clear timelines-undermines investor confidence, workforce security, and long-term planning. For some enterprises, especially those with national or export exposure, the question is no longer if disruption will occur, but how often and how severe it will be.

Critical transport routes such as the gorge and State Highway 35 have become increasingly unreliable, leaving local enterprises vulnerable. Cross says immediate strategies must focus on diversification and contingency planning-building flexibility into supply chains, reviewing storage capacity, and prioritising workforce wellbeing when travel becomes unsafe or impossible. He says collaboration between businesses, iwi entities, and councils will be essential to share resources and reduce risk where possible.

As a leader across major Māori horticultural entities, Cross is particularly concerned about the cumulative impact on livelihoods. Growers and exporters depend on consistent, timely transport to move perishable goods, meet overseas contracts, and maintain market confidence. Each closure compounds financial pressure, and repeated delays risk eroding relationships built over decades. He warns that without reliable access, the burden falls disproportionately on Māori landowners and workers whose income is directly tied to the land.

In that context, Cross believes the Gisborne wharf will play an increasingly critical role in sustaining the region’s economic future. As one of the few dependable export points during major disruptions, the wharf offers a level of resilience that road networks currently cannot. He says future planning must recognise its strategic importance-not just as infrastructure, but as a lifeline for regional exports, employment, and economic continuity.

Looking ahead, Cross says climate change demands a reset in how resilience is defined. For Tairāwhiti, that means moving beyond emergency responses and acknowledging that infrastructure, business models, and regional development strategies must adapt to a new reality.

For Māori agribusinesses rooted in whenua and whakapapa, the commitment to stay is strong – but Cross says resilience cannot rest on goodwill alone. It will depend on whether the systems supporting the region are rebuilt to withstand the storms still to come.