A Hawke's Bay orchard in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association says the slow-down of work to remove silt and debris on cyclone-hit orchards could cost the region, its people and the economy if not finished soon.
The council has asked its 40-plus contractors to slow down the work and reduce their hours, while it manages the risk of over-spending its silt removal budget.
Hawke's Bay is allocated $44 million out of the $70m fund for Tai Rāwhiti as well that the government announced in May.
Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association general manager Dean Smith said most growers understood the situation, but it was extremely difficult for those still waiting.
"Some people have had to wait a lot longer than what they should've or what we would like, which is disappointing. It is a really complex issue though," Smith said.
"The need is huge and the investment required is large, but at the end of the day, the land can't be restored to a productive state without this work being done.
"So for us, it's not just an issue for the grower, but actually [it's] of regional and national economic importance that the land gets cleaned up and that we get some plants growing so we can actually generate revenue and create jobs and other things. Otherwise, some of those social outcomes are going to be a real challenge."
Smith said it was a complex situation.
"It's clearly causing frustration for some landowners that just want to get on and have their properties cleared up," Smith said.
"That said, I think there's a level of understanding from the industry that there needs to be efficiency in the process. I think there were some concerns before the slow-down that there wasn't always an efficient process in place, so I think some rationalisation is understood."
Mud and silt left behind at an Esk Valley property in Hawke's Bay after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Sally Murphy
'The main concern really is that the job still gets done'
Regional council silt recovery taskforce lead Darren de Klerk acknowledged the slow-down was sitting tough with some growers.
"It's a stressful and anxious time anyway. Your land's been completely devastated, you've been doing everything in your power to try and get it back up and running and recover what you can," de Klerk said.
"We're right in the thick of growing season, or getting ready for it, so a lot of those growing squash and maize are in it right now; it needs to be planted.
"Orchardists are wanting to spray to protect their crops and this slowdown certainly hasn't helped, and we're acutely aware of that. So there are a lot of challenges, and our landowners and growers are certainly feeling it pretty hard right now."
De Klerk said getting seed in the ground would help boost the local economy and also prevent issues with dust in the drier months ahead.
"The best way we can deal with that is to keep moving stuff and seeding and grassing areas to manage dust in what could be a really dry summer," de Klerk said.
"Then obviously, it's managing the risk of jobs losses and further economic impacts to the region if this was to slow down and job losses became a real thing.
"So I think there's a number of things to juggle here and obviously the main thing is how do we get our land and our economy back up and running and into some form of production."
De Klerk said he understood the Wairoa District and Napier City councils had enough funding at the moment, but they may hit similar funding constraints in the coming months.
A spokesperson for Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson said officials were working with councils in Hawke's Bay and Tai Rāwhiti to ensure silt and debris removal work could continue - and they would report to ministers soon.
The government had committed over $203m in total across Hawke's Bay and Tai Rāwhiti for the collection and disposal of sediment and woody debris, the spokesperson said.
There is still around a million cubic metres of silt still to be collected across more than 200 site in Hawke's Bay.
