Agenda of Extraordinary HB Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Meeting

Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee

9 March 2023

Subject: Cyclone Gabrielle Response to date

Reason for Report

1. This paper provides the Joint Committee with an overall update on the response to date since the event of Cyclone Gabrielle striking on 13-14 February 2023. It is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all of the activities undertaken however is to provide a formal update to the Committee of the key impacts for the response and transition to recovery.

Background

2. Across the Hawke’s Bay region, multiple Local States of Emergency, a Hawke’s Bay-wide Regional State of Emergency and then a National State of Emergency were declared through the morning of 14 February 2023 as the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle bore down on the Hawke’s Bay region and New Zealand.

3. Prior to the event, preparations were made across the region in anticipation of the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, with forecast modelling expecting severe weather across the region. Preparations included Emergency Operations Centre’s and Evacuation Centres being prepared to stand up for the potential escalation of the event overnight. The intensity and rapid escalation of the event was far greater than anticipated, resulting in devasting impacts across the region.

4. Cyclone Gabrielle has had significant impacts across six regions including Hawke’s Bay. The National State of Emergency extended across Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tararua, Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions. This is only the third time a National Emergency has been declared.

5. The extent and impacts of the event, not just regionally but nationally, have been far reaching. The impacts on people, particularly those whanau who have lost loved ones, are devastating. The impacts of this event will be multi-generational.

6. Again, the scale and scope of this event should not be underestimated with the impact of the event being far greater than Cyclone Bola in 1988 and greater in geographic scale than the Christchurch earthquakes.

Immediate Response

7. This section highlights some of the key aspects of the response.

8. The Hawke’s Bay Group Emergency Management Operations Centre was prepared to activate and alongside Emergency Operations Centre’s led by Local Controllers in Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, Napier and Wairoa have responses locally and regionally since the Tuesday morning.

9. The response has seen local, regional, national and international support for the wider efforts of the response. This has included support from Councils across New Zealand into the region, the use of the Emergency Management Assistance Team (EMAT), Taiwhenua and and Marae response structures, international search and rescue teams, Maori Wardens, local communities, the standing up of the Tihei Mauri Ora network, community networks and wider community volunteerism. The extent and scale of support received has at times been overwhelming.

10. The response to Cyclone Gabrielle is by far the largest response in terms of scale and impact that the Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management Group has had to respond to.

11. Seven days on from the event, some 15,520 power outages still existed. This was after major areas of Napier and Hastings had power restored after being without power for some six days. At the time of writing, some 1349 properties still remain without power. The social, economic and long-term wellbeing implications of this will be material for many, and created significant challenges in the ability to community for main centres such as Napier in the early phases of the response.

12. Civil Defence Centres and Community Led Centre’s were opened across the region with 16 centres still remaining open seven days after the event. Some 663 people were formally recorded in the Civil Defence Centres seven days on, with an unknown number of residents displaced from their homes, as a result of flooding or evacuations.

13. As data has progressed, some 28,000 properties have now been identified as being impacted in some form in the early stages of this event. One hundred and two (102) red and 1048 yellow placards had been issued as of 6 March, with many more white placards being issued and damage to homes still requiring repair with a white placard.

14. The loss of power and displacement of whanau from their homes as a result of evacuations or flooding saw many people unaccounted for across the region. At its peak, some 4,928 recorded people were unaccounted for, exacerbated by no power and the loss of communication towers.

15. Many rural communities were and remain isolated. Some 31 communities still remain isolated. This has resulted in a major welfare relief distribution need, with the Hawke’s Bay A&P Showgrounds being a major food distribution hub for the region.

16. The region’s stopbank network suffered major damage with 30 breaches (in 20 locations) occurring during the peak of Cyclone Gabrielle and several stopbanks also overtopping. Some 5 km of breaches and another 26 km of damaged stopbanks occurred across the 248 km of the stopbank network, with major work underway across the networks on urgent repairs. (Refer paras 45-48)

17. The region’s roading network has been significantly hammered. Key arterial connections to Wairoa, Taupo across our State Highway networks have been significantly damaged with no clarity on restoration times on connections to Wairoa. Over 150 bridges across the region require some form of repair – including key lifeline bridges and over 20 bridges across the region have been lost. Local road networks have faced major disruptions with the true extent of damage still not known.

18. In terms of the cultural, economic, social and environmental impacts of the event - the impacts are vast. The next section outlines these impacts in more detail.

Impacts across the four well-beings

19. Recognising the early point in this significant event, this section of the report highlights the early known impacts of the event across the four well-beings.

Cultural wellbeing

20. Cyclone Gabrielle has been unforgiving to all, including to some of our most precious taonga across the region. Numerous marae and urupa have been impacted, many significantly.

21. The cultural impacts of Tāwhirimātea are many and varied. The socio-economic impacts in the region will be felt for many years to come, as communities deal with being displaced from whenua, the loss of marae, other places of safety and culture and the consequent stresses brought on by these events.

22. The significant damage to marae, to the pou, the tukutuku, indeed to all carved and woven elements that represent tīpuna, is a devastating impact to Te Ao Māori.

23. The discovery of any artefacts, ancient pā sites, urupā, midden sites, or taonga that are uncovered or disturbed by the floods need to be immediately protected from further harm and mana whenua notified.

24. The full extent and impact of the damage across the region is still yet to be fully understood; however we anticipate the impacts on all aspects of hauora and Te Ao Māori to be significant. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia haumaru.

Environmental wellbeing

25. There will be many adverse environmental impacts due to Cyclone Gabrielle, however many of these will not be fully known or quantifiable until further studies have been done.

26. Major disruption to river channels, agricultural and farming plains and the wider natural environment has occurred from the scale of this event. Thousands of cubic metres of silt have impacted homes, horticultural plantings and decimated crops, orchards and vineyards.

27. For context, Hawke's Bay is home to some special biodiversity – rare and threatened species like the kākā, kiwi, kōkako, long-tailed bat, tree weta and kākā beak; indigenous beech and podocarp forests in the mountains and coastal swamps and estuaries. The region also has several wetlands which have important roles in the environment - purifying water, flood control, carbon sink and stabilising shorelines.

28. Hawke's Bay’s coastline has two main habitat types - the sand and gravel beaches of the Bay itself, and the extensive rock and boulder reefs around Mahia Peninsula and south of Cape Kidnappers.

29. The highest diversity of species in the inter-tidal zone is found in the reefs - algae, invertebrates - and these are important feeding grounds for wading birds. Hawke's Bay's sandy beaches are important breeding areas for shellfish. Dunes at Ocean Beach provide nesting boxes and penguins have returned to the area as well as providing habitats for lizards and katipo and restoration work was well underway in the regions only Marine Reserve at Te Angiangi.

30. The seafloor of Hawke's Bay's near-shore marine environment has high biodiversity and has unique invertebrate communities. There are several important nurseries areas for fish, in particular snapper. Sub-tidal rock reefs support diverse algae, invertebrate and fish communities at Pania Reef, Mahia Peninsula and south of Cape Kidnappers.

31. All of these are expected to have been significantly impacted.

Social wellbeing

32. Cyclone Gabrielle has had and will continue to have serious social implications including to the region’s overall mental health and wellbeing, resulting in psychological problems including frustration, stress, exhaustion, and depression.

33. It has resulted in people being displaced and isolated from their family, friends, and important sources of support. Many people have lost physical links to their loved ones.

34. Population groups who may be at higher risk of adverse social and psychosocial impacts including Māori, Pacific Peoples, refugees and migrants, health workers, essential workers, people with existing physical and mental health conditions, people with disabilities, older people, young people (18-25 years), children, and women.

35. There is likely to be negative impacts on child wellbeing and development as affected children experience isolation and disruption to their education.

36. The region has also experienced an increase in domestic violence, crime, and anti-social behaviours. Safety and security concerns of possessions and people have been voiced by several communities. Feelings of uncertainty regarding homes, jobs and the potential of ongoing financial hardship are all contributing negatively to mental health.

Economic wellbeing

37. Cyclone Gabrielle hit right at peak of the season for a number of Hawke’s Bay key industries including farming, horticulture (apples, stone fruit, vegetables), wine and tourism, with the true extent of the impact is still to be determined. Hundreds of hectares of orchards and crops (including squash, onions, maze) have been washed away or are buried under metres of silt and the remaining crop is proving hard to access and pick.

38. Scarring and slips on farmland has affected the ability to farm productively and has raised animal welfare issues.

39. Access limitations are also having direct implications for livestock processing. Livestock markets have also been affected, adding to the impact on the farming community and stock levels.

40. There will be challenges for food production and the logistics of physically moving product around the country for some time to come.

41. Several major events including Art Deco and Horse of the Year (jointly contributing $25m to the Hawke's Bay economy) as well as a number of smaller events have been cancelled. Getting tourists back to the Hawkes Bay will be key to the region’s recovery. Once the roads are reopened and the bars, hotels and restaurants have opened their doors, the region is going to need tourists to come to the area and spend money.

42. One of the significant challenges will be quantifying the flow-on effect to the region’s economy. There is the damage – purely the cost of to fix what has been destroyed, however the economic impact will include the loss of productivity for the region and the country, the shops that aren’t open and can’t sell their product, those who were stuck at home and unable to get to work, unemployment following business closures. This will slow down GDP and output is expected to be severely impaired as a result.

Continued Response Focus

43. While planning for the transition to recovery is underway, a key focus remains on providing support to those communities in need. In particular our key focus remains on supporting the 31 areas of the region still isolated, and their critical welfare needs. This has extended to Operation Tuhono across the region, to confirm that contact has been made with those in our rural isolated communities, with the support of community partners and community within those communities.

44. The ongoing coordination of the response and transitional period remains the primary focus. The scale of this event means that considerable long-term support structures will need to remain in place to service the large and long-term needs that the region faces, from co-ordination and prioritization of resources to welfare support and planning.

Flood protection

45. The HBRC Rapid Rebuild Projects team is currently tasked with 5.3km of stopbank breach repairs and 26km of erosion and scour repairs, with more sites being identified every day. Our first response was the emergency construction of temporary bunds for flood protection. All temporary flood protection has been put into place and polythene wrap is being looked at to secure these bunds while we progress further with stopbank repairs.

Figure 1: Temporary bund in Waipawa

46. Thirteen out of 25 sites are currently in ‘execution’ meaning construction has started and we aim to have these finished over the next few months. These sites sit on the Tūtaekurī and Ngaruroro in the Heretaunga Plains and there are a small number of sites in Central Hawke’s Bay on the Waipawa. Ten of the remaining sites are currently in the planning and investigation phase, preparing for construction works.

Figure 2: Moteo at Vicarage Road large scour hole

Figure 3: Moteo stopbank breach

47. The first three sites to be completed were the Maraenui Golf Course, Allen Road stopbank and the erosion at the bottom of Taradale stopbank.

48. The Taradale stopbank was upgraded to a 1-in-500 flood protection level before the cyclone as part of the IRG-funded Resilient River Communities projects. This stopbank held and protected the Taradale community.

Figure 4: Taradale stopbank holds

Transition to recovery

49. A critical priority in order for to ensure the long-term wellbeing of community is a successful transition from response to recovery. This agenda includes specific items including a proposed recovery governance framework and the appointment of an interim recovery manager.

50. At an operational response level, the development of a Recovery Transition Report is underway to support the operational response in both the immediate and short term, and to plan for how response functions are managed through this process.

Next steps

51. The immediate focus for the event remains on continuing to support the response effort as the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle transitions from immediate urgent response, into a long-term recovery process. A strong and successful recovery process is critical to provide a sense of long-term direction to communities, business and partners in their own recovery processes.

52. There will undoubtedly be questions asked and lessons learnt in the response to date and the need to carefully review the response. Now is not the time for that immediate review, with urgent response work still underway to connect critical lifelines to communities and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of communities. The National Emergency Management Agency will conduct its own independent review of the response event, the timelines for which are not known at this time.

Decision Making Process

53. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee receives and notes the Cyclone Gabrielle response to date staff report.

Authored by:

Robert Johnson

Emergency Management Advisor
(Public Information & Education)

Approved by:

Doug Tate

CHBDC Chief Executive
Chair, CDEM Coordinating Executive Group

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Joint Committee

9 March 2023

Subject: Hawke's Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework

Reason for Report

1. This report seeks the approval of the Joint Committee for the proposed Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework.

Officers’ Recommendations

2. This report recommends that the Joint Committee approves the proposed Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework as described herein and in the attachment, noting that it is anticipated the framework will be in place for 12 months from establishment, with a potential 12 month extension if required and approved.

Executive Summary

3. Following the devasting impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on 14 February 2023, the Hawke’s Bay Emergency Management Group stood up alongside its partners a response to this significant event. While the response still continues to address immediate need for many in our community, the need to plan and prepare for the significant magnitude of the recovery in front of us is critical.

4. The proposed Recovery framework for Hawke’s Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle, its connection to Central Government’s Extreme Weather Recovery Cabinet Committee, is outlined as well as connections to local recovery planning in response to the event. The proposed Recovery framework has been developed in partnership with Matariki Governance Group partners, and the time of writing forms an agenda with the Matariki Governance Group for their endorsement prior to this meeting.

5. Noting the Joint Committee’s legislative role in relation to the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, this paper seeks the formal approval of the Joint Committee for this recovery framework in accordance with the Act.

Background

6. Cyclone Gabrielle has had a significant impact on our environment, economic, physical and social infrastructure across Hawke’s Bay. The magnitude of damage is unprecedented, and the recovery from the impacts of Cyclone Gabreille will take years in some cases. As the response phase continues, Hawke’s Bay remains in a national state of emergency to at least 14 March 2023.

7. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, families and communities isolated without power and basic welfare needs. Three weeks after the event some of those communities remain isolated and are being serviced via NZDF support.

8. At a whānau level, regionally over 28,000 houses have been identified as impacted by flooding.

9. Cyclone Gabrielle caused significant damage to local communities, pastoral and horticultural land, livestock and crops, and to key infrastructure (flood protection, bridges, roads, fibre connectivity, power generation).

10. The region’s stopbank infrastructure across Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings and Napier areas was significantly damaged and extensive flooding proximal to stopbank breaches in 20 locations. Wairoa, Waipawa, Pōrangahau and rural outlier areas suffered significant flooding including Esk Valley, Tūtira, Patoka, Rissington, Puketapu, Puketitiri, Ruakituri and many more.

11. Community organisations and Iwi Māori implemented a range of responses to ensure that the critical needs of their whānau and communities were met. Some needs are reducing with a range of community hubs now in place to monitor and respond to ongoing needs and to ensure the wellbeing of communities and whānau.

12. A range of data and information is now known, with more assessment needed to plan for the recovery of Hawke’s Bay. There is currently no single organisation that holds sufficient capability and capacity to oversee the coordination and development of a region-wide recovery plan. For Hawke’s Bay to build back from the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, we will need to work collectively in partnership with iwi/mana whenua, territorial local authorities, regional council, business and sector groups, government and place-based communities.

13. Through this recovery, there is an opportunity to demonstrate how Hawke’s Bay can stand up a structure with the appropriate architecture for a regional platform for recovery planning and implementation. To enable this, an option has been developed, the HB Recovery Agency, and shared with key regional stakeholders for feedback over the last two weeks.

Proposed Hawke’s Bay Recovery framework

14. At a regional level, the Matariki Governance Group has been overseeing regional economic development and social inclusion for Hawke’s Bay. It is proposed that the Matariki Governance Group oversee the Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency as it represents key regional partners and has worked strategically to manage and deliver on matters of regional significance since 2018.

15. The Matariki Governance Group will oversee:

15.1. Regional leadership and oversight for Hawke’s Bay Recovery planning and implementation

15.2. Monitoring the delivery of any Recovery plan.

16. The current Matariki Governance Group Terms of Reference are linked directly to the Matariki Regional Economic Development strategy. In order to fulfil the Hawke’s Bay recovery leadership and oversight, the terms of reference will need to be updated.

17. Strategically, the recovery positions are:

17.1. Building back better, safer and smarter

17.2. Genuine partnership with Māori

17.3. Addressing inequalities

17.4. Stronger productive economy

17.5. Fit for purpose infrastructure and lifelines

17.6. Climate resilience and adaptation

17.7. Environmental resilience and working with Te Taiao (the natural environment) not against it.

18. The framework is based on a locally led, regionally enabled model with locality plans in Wairoa, Ahuriri/Napier, Heretaunga/Hastings and Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay. These plans will be developed locally and based on a comprehensive range of stakeholder and community engagements to identify local and regional areas of focus, priorities and potential resourcing.

19. The plans will be fed into the Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency (the Recovery agency). The Recovery agency will be responsible for the development and coordination of the recovery programme of work, noting a oversight Board will be appointed to:

19.1. Be a key interface between local groups, iwi, industry, business and both the public and private sectors to inform advice to and decision making for recover planning

19.2. Collate and integrate local views and to advise on regional priorities for recovery planning and any potential sequencing of recovery efforts

19.3. Ensure the integration and alignment of local and regional issues and opportunities, including identifying advice for prioritisation and sequencing of recovery work

19.4. Support and ensure environmental resilience including flood protection, land-use recovery, water quality and quantity, indigenous ecosystems, biodiversity and conservation

19.5. Map out the regional recovery planning model, commencing with immediate relief and agreed needs of local communities, to ensure both short-term and long-term planning requirements.

19.6. Identify recovery activities and opportunities that address the strategic objectives now and over time, from the Matariki Governance Group and wider advice, insights and assessment.

19.7. Oversee the Hawke’s Bay Recovery Programme of Action and associated implementation, monitoring and reporting.

20. Underpinning the framework, a proposed set of pou (priority area) have been developed based on the Matariki Regional Economic Development agency:

20.1. Environmental resilience

20.2. Economic growth

20.3. Community wellbeing

20.4. Whanau wellbeing

20.5. Primary sector

20.6. Resilient infrastructure.

21. At the time of writing, the proposed recovery framework is to be formally endorsed by the Matariki Governance Group for recommendation to the Joint Committee for its adoption. Officers will be able to table any advice and confirmation of the endorsement of the recovery framework at this meeting.

The Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency

22. A Regional Recovery Agency is proposed to operationally deliver on the recovery. The ~~objective is to~~ establishment of a new Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency with the mana, funding and architecture willto provide a single platform for regional recovery planning and implementation in Hawke’s Bay.

23. Centrally, the Extreme Weather Recovery Cabinet Committee has been created with a Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Taskforce (“Taskforce”). The Taskforce purpose is to align locally led recovery plans with the work of government agencies and the private sector. The Taskforce Chair is Brian Roche and membership will include representatives from business, local government, iwi and unions. The Taskforce will be a key interface between regional groups, iwi, ministers and central government to ensure their needs are recognised and inform advice to and decision-making by ministers.

24. The Taskforce covers all regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle; and Regional Groupings from affected regions will be set up and report directly to the Taskforce.

25. In summary, the Taskforce’s role is to:

25.1. Identify commonalities and differences between regions, prioritisation and sequencing of work, including policy, to ensure the most effective and efficient recovery approach and outcomes

25.2. Identify, where and if appropriate, options for retreating from areas at high risk of flooding / damage in the future, along with potential approaches to funding and regulatory implications

25.3. Ensure the integration and alignment of Government resources with respect to infrastructure to the identified and agreed needs of regional communities

25.4. Provide an ‘independent view’ of the effectiveness of recovery activities.

26. The Extreme Weather Recovery Committee and councils will be responsible for decisions about policy and funding. Welfare and social support elements of the response will be the role of any relevant agencies.

27. The primary opportunity is for Hawke’s Bay to work with the Taskforce and establish the Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency as the body that will coordinate the regional recovery.

Recovery Agency resourcing

28. The aim is to have the Recovery Agency established before the end of March with a confirmed process to have governors in place. To enable this, central government funding has been sought of circa $5m to fund the Recovery Agency for 12 months.

29. In addition to this, central government funding has been requested for the development of locality plans.

30. The Hawke’s Bay Recovery Agency framework will be in place for 12 months from establishment, with a potential 12-month extension, if required and approved.

Role of the Joint Committee in Recovery

31. The Joint Committee have an important legislative role to see the successful implementation of a recovery approach in accordance with the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002. The proposed recovery framework meets these legislative requirements and provides an important interface with existing frameworks that provides for sustaining long-term resilience, outside of a Civil Defence framework. This is an important principle of emergency management, allowing the entire Emergency Management Group to prepare for any future events rather than the long tail of recovery planning and implementation.

32. Following the confirmation of the interim Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery Manager role (a separate item on today’s agenda), the Joint Committee will also play a key role in confirming the appointment of a permanent Group Recovery Manager. The Committee can expect a further report to confirm a Recovery Manager once identified beyond the interim period.

33. It is planned that regular reporting will be provided to the Joint Committees regular meetings, satisfying and closing the appropriate formal feedback loops on the progress of the recovery as anticipated by the Act. To this end, it is worth noting that the members of the Joint Committee are also full members of the Matariki Governance Group.

Options Assessment

34. Two possible options available to the Committee are:

34.1. Option 1 – approve the proposed Recovery framework

34.2. Option 2 – reject the proposed Recovery framework and recommend changes.

35. Option 1 is the recommended option for the Committee to adopt. This recommendation is provided, noting the considerable engagement and partnership approach to designing the recovery framework that has been completed to date with Matariki Governance Group partners.

36. Option 2 is not recommended. Any changes would require further engagement with Matariki Governance Group leaders and could put a risk essential momentum that has been gained in recent weeks in the recovery efforts.

Next steps

37. If formally endorsed by the Joint Committee, the proposed recovery framework will be shared with the Taskforce and Cyclone Recovery Cabinet Committee to formally ratify.

38. Concurrently, there is a need to work efficiently to formally stand up the Recovery agency. To assist, the Matariki Governance Group will need to:

38.1. Refresh the Matariki Governance Group Terms of Reference

38.2. Put in place the governance arrangements for the Recovery Agency (board composition and appointment, recognising the Chair is a Crown appointment)

38.3. Select and operationalise the most appropriate model (likely to be funded through one body) for the Recovery Agency.

Decision Making Process

39. Council and its committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act). Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded that, given the nature and significance of the issue to be considered and decided, the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence & Emergency Management Group Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting directly with the community.

Recommendations

That Hawke’s Bay Regional Council:

1. Receives and considers the Hawke's Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework staff report.

2. Approves the proposed Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework as detailed, providing for its implementation by the Matariki Governance Group.

Authored and Approved by:

Doug Tate

CHBDC Chief Executive
Chair, CDEM Coordinating Executive Group

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

HB Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery framework

- To be tabled at the meeting