HBFA can fund technical or financial consultancy to assist growers in making well-informed decisions regarding flood affected blocks. For more information please find the following link – Subsidised Support for Impacted Growers
Please find the below link to access the latest update from Hastings District Council.
1620223-EMO-CycloneGabrielle-message from the Mayor-01.05.23_v2_FA
20 April 2022
All waste recovery for the Hawke’s Bay region is now being coordinated by a taskforce led by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) for rural areas, and the district councils for the urban areas. If you need flood waste collected –whether its silt, flood damaged household goods, wood waste, or posts; please call 0800 108 838 and press 2. Your job will be logged with the taskforce through HBRC. Alternatively fill out the online form here
Below is more information about about each different type of waste that can be collected, and also what can currently be burnt:
Silt
You will be asked when you ring to classify your silt as one of the following types, as the different types of silt go to different locations. Please identify you silt as one or more of the following:
Clean silt – does not contain solid items, and comes from relatively clean areas (ie. not around septic tanks or spray sheds)
Mixed silt – contains small amount of litter (e.g. small toys, food waste) and crops affected by the flood (e.g. apples and onions)
Contaminated silt – may have contaminants mixed through it, e.g. septic tank material, diesel, chemicals
Woody silt – silt mixed with quantities of timber and other storm-related debris like fence posts and trees
If you can estimate the volume of silt you have that would be helpful too (particularly if you have more than one type).
Once you have lodged your request, an assessor will visit your property – hopefully within 3 working days. Your job will then be able to be scheduled for collection. They will try and let you know which day your silt will be picked up.
Silt needs to be piled up, as close as possible to the front of your property in a location that is accessible by truck, but away from drains and gutters for collection.
Six silt collection zones have been developed across the region. Each zone has dedicated contractors who will collect silt, and also any remaining flood-damaged household items.
If you have a relationship with a contractor, it may be possible to have that contractor access one of the deposit sites directly – please ring the 0800 number to discuss – Council is working with Insurance Council NZ and EQC to release an authorised contractor listing.
Find out more about silt and the taskforce on the Regional Council’s website:
Posts and Wire
If you have large quantities of vineyard and orchard posts damaged in the flood (which may still have wire attached), the taskforce can also collect these, and will work to separate and recycle what they can. Please call 0800 108 838 and press 2 to speak to someone about this.
Wood Waste
If you have big quantities of wood waste, you can also get assistance to remove this – call 0800 108 838 and press 2 to speak to someone about waste collection. The wood waste would need to be piled up in one or two locations that are accessible by truck. The recovery taskforce is working with HB Forestry Group, and local contractors to investigate options to manage wood waste onsite where possible, or move offsite.
Burning
At the moment, you can also burn dry wood waste as long as:
Wind conditions are suitable (not too strong, but also not calm)
There are no prohibited materials in the fire – this includes treated (tanalised) timber/posts, plastic (including irrigation tubing) and coated wire. A full list of prohibited items is available here:
The fire does not cause any problems beyond the boundary of your property e.g. smoke to drift across roads, or towards the Napier or Hastings Airsheds; ash or odour to drift off your property
You have notified Fire and Emergency if your fire is going to be burning at night – email hawkesbay@fireandemergency.nz
The fire is controlled and attended to at all times
The burn pile is located well away from any flammable material, vegetation, fences, buildings, substations and powerlines
Appropriate extinguishing equipment is available at all times, until the fire is completely extinguished with water.
Fire and Emergency has a great tool on its website that helps you check whether or not it is safe to light a fire. Find it here
You are strongly encouraged to use experienced burn contractors to manage fires to ensure that they are well-managed and burn as quickly and cleanly as possible.
From 1 May to 31 August no fires are allowed within the Napier and Hastings Airsheds – you can use the map on this page to check if your property is within either airshed.
Questions/Further Advice
Any questions, please contact Charlotte Drury from HortNZ: 027 3225595 or Charlotte.Drury@hortnz.co.nz
Supporting those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle remains our immediate priority.
We continue to encourage anyone who is feeling overwhelmed and would like to speak to someone to contact the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 524. Please also remember that The Association has engaged Wanda Douglas to provide free and confidential psychological support to our members and their families. Wanda is a Registered Psychologist with the NZ Psychologists’ Board. She is based locally in Taradale and can be contacted on 021 1700 506.
For those of you keen to unwind with and swap notes with other impacted growers and farmers, we encourage you to get along to “Over the Fence” which is being held at the Napier War Memorial on the 9th May. HBFA is contributing to bring this event together, so we are keen to see plenty of growers attend. You’ll find more information in this newsletter and via the dedicated Facebook Page.
We also remind impacted growers that The Association will fund consultancy services of up to $700/grower for the assessment of orchards and technical advice to support your recovery. This can be accessed by contacting either AgFirst or Fruition directly – please email me if you’d like more information or would like to use an alternative consultant.
As some of you may already be aware we are also working with NZAPI and The Evergreen Foundation to fund the costs of any impacted grower that would like to attend all, or part of, the inaugural Horticulture Conference Week which takes place from 31 July to 1 August in Christchurch. Please email info@applesandpears.nz for full details.
Alongside our efforts to support those impacted by the Cyclone we continue our efforts to foster, protect and promote the industry in a more general way. This includes planning for the 2023 Young Fruitgrower of the Year which will take now take place on 10 and 11 August. We thank all of our sponsors for their ongoing commitment to what promises to be another outstanding event.
Take care and keep in touch,
Dean
027 233 9900
Please find the below link to access the latest update from Hastings District Council.
During my time as a Hort consultant and then later in the R&D space I was advised to stop look and listen. The listen bit was for machinery that might run me over. That stop and look is something that I have tried to do even in jobs that are more desk based.
The recent offer to do just this on cyclone affected blocks, with the help of a hort professional from AgFirst or Fruition for free seemed to be a very generous offer. As growers we tend to put heads down and get on with it when the big picture needs a bit of time as well. For those who are able to recover from Gabrielle’s visit the systemic weakness in the system may well be talking to you. I’ve seen shelter species that are dying from what could be wet feet with the neighbouring tree of a different species looking fine. There are fruit varieties that are more susceptible than others and certainly age-related and rootstock responses. Trees that were already in trouble due to the wet growing season have now been finished off. This could well be a good thing. These are the beginnings of decision making such as ‘this old block of apricots with dying trees should now come out completely’. It will make recovering from the silt overlay easier as bigger machinery can be used.
Looking at blocks as you drive or ride past, I’m seeing that those that have had good inputs over time are in better nick than those that haven’t. Maybe its imagination, maybe its observation. And now that I’m looking a little closer there are number of small stone fruit blocks that I suspect are not in the Summerfruit system. That’s fine until something happens, be it a cyclone or a biosecurity incursion when we all need to hang tough together. If this event has highlighted anything it’s that working together, all the parts of all our industries, we are more likely to get stuff done. Now would be a good time to connect or reconnect with the Hawkes Bay Fruitgrowers Association who are doing some very good work.
Getting stuff done in this post Gabrielle environment for affected growers is painfully slow. Whether its contactors, Councils or Central Government we are all waiting for the next announcement to proceed. For some of us oldies this waiting might be too much. I suspect there will be some who say enough, I’m out, which would be a reasonable response. It’s heartening to watch the smart young, Brittany’s, Kurt’s and Jack’s (see Orchardist April 2023), the Young Grower contestants, all the orchard apprentices get involved in decision making.
Is this the right time to take a step back and encourage the next generation with new ideas to have the loud voice. They may well take the opportunity anyway.
It’s always about the people. The old connections renewed, and the new connections made that help make this game worthwhile. There will be some good outcomes following Gabrielle, even if we cannot yet see them.
Kia kaha.
Richard Mills
Summerfruit Technical Advisor
021 632559
It’s almost a year since I last reported that the region had below normal rainfall for the month, so it’s a real novelty and, let’s face it, a relief to say March rainfall was well below normal – about 60% of the long-term average. Totals on the Ruataniwha Plains and the region’s south coast were particularly low, both receiving less than half of usual March rainfall, while the Heretaunga Plains had roughly three quarters. It allowed soil moisture levels and river flows to ease a little but they remain very high for early autumn. Groundwater levels continue to break records for the time of year.
Air temperatures, both daytime and overnight, were near normal during March. Soil temperatures on the Ruataniwha and Heretaunga Plains finished the month in the mid-teens and about 12⁰C in the ranges.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is in neutral mode but El Niño conditions could develop by the end of winter. Chances are that we’ll also have a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. Both raise the potential for drier than normal weather and a big change to the weather we’ve had for the past so many months. Already the seasonal forecast models are hinting at a change in the sea level pressure pattern. Higher than normal pressure is expected to the west of the country and lower than normal to the northeast, which may give winds a southerly tilt. However, with warm seas around us, temperatures are expected to stay near or above normal over the next three months. Rainfall too might hover near normal but forecasts that extend beyond three months suggest drier weather is to come.
Percentage of Normal Rainfall
Dr Kathleen Kozyniak
Principal Scientist Air
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Tēnā koutou,
EIT is moving into its recovery stage, and we are now organised for classes that start back on 4th May. The majority of theory classes for Level 3 and 4 fruit production will be at Hastings Learning Centre at 416 Heretaunga Street West. We have some practical classes later in the year that will be held at Fish and Game in Jervoistown. The Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (CPIOS) courses will be held in Twyford,
EIT still has several technical issues to work through, as well as missing a lot of staff, so please bear with us, as we try and get systems back operating well.
Students will receive text notifications at the start of class week which includes classroom information. We have two cohorts for Level 3 Fruit production this year which will allow a bit of flexibility for students to catch up if they miss any class. I have contacted all managers that have more than one student in a year to discuss whether you wish them to attend together or be in different groups – this can always change as the year progresses if required.
Class starts back on 4th May for Level 4 students to finish the compliance course, and there is a tutorial that evening where we hope to see everyone. We are still taking new students for CPIOS which starts on 9th May, so if you have identified any workers you wish to get into training, there is still time. Like last year, we will run another intake starting August if there is demand, but prefer to get as much training done before spray season.
Noho ora mai
Clare
Over two months on from the destruction brought by Cyclone Gabrielle and the clean-up continues for many of you.
On the road to recovery, discouragement can become your biggest enemy. It’s usually brought on by sheer exhaustion, frustration, and unrealistic expectations. Exhaustion from clearing silt day-in-day-out with tunnelled focus on the doing. Frustration at the enormous task at hand and how progress appears to be much slower than your expectations. Help wade off discouragement by taking some time out for yourself. Step back, take a break, and breathe. Lower your expectations by looking at the bigger picture and know you are making progress, with an entire industry in your corner.
The Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association have kindly subsidised up to $700 (incl. GST) per grower for consultancy services, including the assessment of blocks and technical advice to inform and support the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.
There are a lot of big decisions still to be made, and our whole team is here to support you with those. Some of the things we can help with include:
Please reach out to any of the consultants here with any curly questions you may have. We are here to help.
This course is suitable for people directly impacted by the events of Cyclone Gabrielle. Completing this course will help you:
Understand the impacts on people after the event, be aware of response in recovery, learn about Dr Rob Gordon’s “Four processes of recovery” and be reminded of how to look after yourself.
For more information and to register please click here: Recovery Matters training Hastings
