Clive Bibby: It will take more than time to heal this one

While the nation reacts generously and sympathetically to those who have lost so much in these recent climate events, it is worth facing up to the reality of what needs to happen by way of rehabilitation.

When doing so, it is important that our response to the personal losses and material damage is well thought through allowing decisions to be made that may not, at first glance, appeal to those who are wedded to the old ways of doing things.
We owe it to those who have been and still are suffering unimaginable mental trauma to ensure that these sorts of cataclismic events don’t become common place in an environment that has changed forever.

Whether we be those unfortunate souls who may never recover from this brutal assault or the bulk of the populace who are bystanders frustrated at being unable to contribute meaningfully to the recovery effort, the message should be the same - those in whom we trust have a responsibility to do what is in the nation’s best interests, not their own.

There will be those, particularly in the political arena who are already taking steps to shield themselves from any blame for what has happened. And it is important that these people are exposed for their part in the nightmare as we sift through the silt and destruction.

In most cases it won’t take a rocket scientist to work out the practices that should be discarded or to note the folly of returning to places that are no longer habitable or even fit for purpose as work places.

The decisions to abandon areas that remain vulnerable to similar events will have to be considered in any enquiry related to all aspects of the Cyclone - not just selected areas where damage was most evident. But the responsibility for making those decisions will need to be made after consultation with those who are most affected and it will require someone who has the wisdom of Solomon, and the empathetic vision of Martin Luther King in order to establish a path for recovery that is just and achievable, where nobody is left behind. We can only hope that the people appointed to Ministerial enquires are hand picked for their integrity, not their political persuasion and that they are given the scope to investigate every item that may be relevant when establishing the truth.

Just as it must be in Ukraine at the moment, no amount of warnings or advice from those who have a responsibility for our safety ever prepares you for the heartbreak that arrives as the day after tomorrow dawns. It has to be experienced to be believed.

So, in these circumstances, what is it that the average kiwi can do as an act of solidarity with those who are contemplating a future not worth living.

For my part and for what it is worth, our combined energies are best spent on making sure those who are culpable are held to account and insisting that the government (whoever it might be) institutes the changes that are necessary in mitigation of Climate Change.

We should not be dwelling on the causes of or spending time apportioning blame for Climate Change - that pointless exercise has got us into this mess - rather concentrating on salvaging what remains of things that will still work in the new environment, building on them a restructured economy and community that is capable of surviving the next one.

The options available to each region will differ but the principles involved supporting the restructure will be similar.

But the choices that will determine our future must remain with the common man and woman. We must not surrender our destiny to another bunch of incompetent ideologues. Their time in the sun is over.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.