A community that is there for each other

I’m incredibly proud of our community and its response to the back-to-back weather events.

It has revealed the true character of our people and the willingness to get prepared, roll our sleeves up when needed to, and help each other out.

A heartfelt thank you to our community response teams and iwi who opened up emergency shelters, to our roading teams who continue working tirelessly to repair our local roads, and to everyone who listened to the advice and prepared for Cyclone Gabrielle.

Together we all stepped up to support our communities.

Our hearts go out to those a ected by Cyclone Gabrielle – and most particularly the whānau and friends of those who have lost their lives in this catastrophe. e images of widespread devastation, and the long road to recovery ahead for countless whānau and businesses certainly puts things in perspective for us.

Plenty of mahi

As things begin to (hopefully) dry out, there is still plenty of mahi to do across our district to restore things.

But we must be mindful of what other regions are currently facing – 10,000 or more people displaced and in need of the very basics – and the prioritisation of materials and resources where they are most needed through the National State of Emergency. We’re still calculating the total clean-up cost, but our roading network took a large hit in recent weeks and there are still a number of roads and some infrastructure that requires attention. e No.4 Rd bailey bridge installation, and the assessments of Te Puna Station Rd, Wairoa Rd and Lund Rd remain a priority and require more time before we can provide a clear picture going forward.

Please be patient

So, please be patient as we work quickly and e ciently to bring things back up to speed as fast as possible. Repairs will take time and have a ow-on e ect for other services such as maintaining our parks and reserves with mowing. e silver lining for me was witnessing how good our community is at preparing for such events. It was great to see people taking the advice from various organisations seriously and being ready to evacuate or take in their neighbours or friends if needed.

ese events, following a tough couple of years, all take a toll.

So, I encourage everyone to look after yourselves and check in on each other. Don’t be too proud to lean on the incredible support services and groups across our district, and nationwide that are there to help and guide you.

And remember, sometimes a simple phone call or kōrero with friends or whānau goes a long way.

Oceans ’23 rolls back onto Mount Main Beach

e Oceans ’23 Festival of Junior Surf Lifesaving event – which brings 700 junior Surf Life Saving members, their families and friends to Mount Maunganui – has decided to push on in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

e event began on Mount Maunganui’s main beach yesterday, February 23 – and runs for four days to nish this Sunday, February 26.

“While our thoughts are with everyone impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, we have made the decision to go ahead with Oceans

’23 to bring some muchneeded positivity to those who are still able to attend,” says SLSNZ chief executive Paul Dalton. “ is decision has not been taken lightly.

“Postponement or cancellation was considered.

“However, we’ve decided to proceed because this event was cancelled in 2022 due to Covid19 and we know how many people were looking forward to this year’s festival.” e four-day festival aims to provide an opportunity for junior members, aged 10-14, to challenge themselves and celebrate the camaraderie of surf lifesaving in a fun, exciting, and safe beach and surf environment.

SLSNZ national sports manager Lewis McClintock says Oceans is an event SLNZ junior members “our future lifeguards” aspire to attend. is is the 23rd edition of Oceans – the last full-scale event was in 2020.

Mauao track day closure

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With Tauranga City Council working to help Mauao in good shape by undertaking vegetation management, another track closure is happening this Monday, February 27.

On this day the Waikorere track will close from 7am to 5pm. If works cannot take place on February 27 a backup day of Wednesday, March 1, will be in place.