Clive Bibby: The day after tomorrow - a year in retrospect

The following is a progress report on how things are in one corner of ground zero following the devastating floods during Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle of 2023. 

For what it is worth, our personal situation 12 months on from the Cyclones is somewhat of a mirror image (less dire than some but perhaps worse than others) of the average casualty tying to rehabilitate themselves after those soul destroying events. 

One of the first grim realisations common to those who awoke to the destruction of property and livelihood on the day after was the enormity of the task ahead and how this recovery was going to take time, money and a huge amount of understanding from creditors dealing with clients who had no ability to meet even minor commitments. 

Whatever yardstick was used to measure the cost of recovery - in the initial stages, one could only guess at the true figure. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, most would prove to be well short of the actual cost, particularly where heavy machinery was involved in the clean up. 

Although those of us who have survived the initial onslaught are still on life support economically, the signs are emerging that, while the recovery still has a long way to go, we have turned a corner and can start planning for better times ahead.

However, there is a danger that those agencies that have been crucial to the recovery to date, will suddenly exit the battlefield thinking that their help is no longer needed. 

It would be a disaster if they decided to do that because, by doing so, they put at risk much of the recovery work already completed. 

They need to be here with us for as long as it takes before we can say their job is done.

And here’s the thing but first, a bit of history. 

Immediately after the storms in January and February 2023, the Government of the day put out an edict to all Central and Local Government agencies, financial institutions and stock firms directing them to do all they could to help those who were no longer able to profit from their labours on the farms or associated servicing businesses severely damaged by those climate events. 

Although I have traditionally batted for the other side politically, I must give credit to the Hipkins Government for that direction to support agencies which is possibly the main reason why we are still in business.  Although, tragically for some, even that help wasn’t enough - for them it all became too much and it was “walk off” time. 

For those of us still hanging in there as per kind favour of our elected government, it is right to acknowledge that fact. But there were others who contributed to our survival and we need to give credit to them as well. 

We are also indebted to those agencies who have responded to the government call to action. 

To provide an insight into the financial battle those still in the game are facing, I offer our own example of the debts that quickly mount up even before we try to find the money to pay for the recovery itself. 

Here at our part of the coalface, until recently we have been faced with unpaid debts based on 12 months arrears of unpaid, GST, Council rates and Maori lease monthly payments. These debts alone are the equivalent of half our traditional income from farming our relatively small operation. 

Most of those debts have remained unpaid simply because we have had no income since the Cyclones destroyed our ability to make ends meet. 

And they would have remained unpaid until the recovery programme is completed had it not been for most of the respective agencies’ decision to remit those arrears in full. 

We can only say a big thank you to all those public servants who rallied to our call for help. 

It has restored our faith in human nature - we won’t forget it. 

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