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March 12, 2026
#national: Tangaere-Manuel Takes Emergency Management Role as Tairāwhiti Recovery Concerns Continue
Dale Husband
Posted On March 12, 2026
Download AudioLabour MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel says Aotearoa must move beyond short-term recovery responses and commit to long-term planning for climate disasters, following her promotion to lead Labour’s Emergency Management and Natural Hazards Commission portfolios.
The new responsibilities were announced by Labour leader Chris Hipkins as part of a caucus reshuffle aimed at strengthening the party’s focus on disaster preparedness and community resilience.
Tangaere-Manuel says the role comes at a critical time for regions such as Te Tairāwhiti and the East Coast, where communities continue to face the lasting impacts of severe weather events.
Nearly four decades after the devastation of Cyclone Bola and three years after Cyclone Gabrielle, she says the country is still grappling with how to prepare for increasingly frequent and destructive storms.
Recent severe weather events earlier this year have again exposed the vulnerability of infrastructure and rural communities in parts of the country that remain prone to slips, flooding and road closures.
Tangaere-Manuel says recovery efforts often focus on repairing damage rather than addressing the underlying environmental and infrastructure risks that leave communities exposed to repeated disasters.
One example she points to is the ongoing closure of the Waioeka Gorge, a key transport link between the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast. The closure has had a major economic impact on the Tairāwhiti region, with estimates suggesting the disruption is costing the local economy millions of dollars each day in lost productivity and reduced access to markets.
For many businesses, the road closure has meant longer transport routes, increased freight costs and reduced tourism flows into the region. Local operators say the uncertainty around when full access will be restored is adding further pressure to an economy already recovering from recent storms.
Concerns have also been raised about the decision to pursue a less expensive repair option for parts of the damaged highway rather than undertaking a more comprehensive rebuild.
Tangaere-Manuel says infrastructure decisions need to consider long-term resilience rather than short-term cost savings, particularly in regions where weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
She believes the country must adopt a more strategic approach that includes better land-use planning, stronger infrastructure investment and deeper engagement with local communities and iwi.
Beyond disaster recovery, Tangaere-Manuel says housing affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing Māori communities.
Rising property prices and stricter lending conditions have made it increasingly difficult for many whānau Māori to enter the housing market. She says home ownership has traditionally been a pathway to stability and intergenerational wealth, but for many Māori families that aspiration is becoming harder to achieve.
Tangaere-Manuel says addressing both climate resilience and housing access will require sustained political commitment and collaboration between central government, local authorities and iwi.
As extreme weather events continue to reshape the country’s landscape, she says the challenge for policymakers is ensuring that recovery efforts today also build stronger, more resilient communities for the future.
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