Source: New Zealand Government
Cabinet has approved an Order in Council to enable severe weather recovery works to continue in the Hawke’s Bay, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell say.
“Cyclone Gabrielle and the other severe weather events in early 2023 caused significant loss and damage to the Hawke’s Bay region, and landowners are continuing to feel the effects,” Ms Simmonds says.
Ninety-four per cent of Hawke’s Bay landowners who responded to a Hawke’s Bay Regional Council survey earlier this year still had recovery works to complete. These works included reinstating tracks and access to properties, repairing culverts, dams, roads and bridges, removing silt and reinstating eroded areas. Without the Order in place these activities would require resource consents.
This Order in Council will make temporary changes to the Resource Management Act to allow rural recovery works to occur as a permitted activity in the region until 30 April 2026. Rural landowners and occupiers will be able to use the Order for recovery works on their land.
“The Order will support landowners who so far haven’t been able to complete these works due to delays in finalising insurance claims, a lack of available contractors and extended wet weather,” Ms Simmonds says.
“This temporary change has been developed in response to a request from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Recovery Agency, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to a recovery that is locally led with support from Government,” Mr Mitchell says.
The Order will come into force on 20 September 2024, and expire on 30 April 2026, giving landowners enough time to undertake works on their properties.
More information about the proposed Order in Council is available on the Ministry for the Environment’s website.
Notes to editors:
Orders in Council under the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023 allow the Government to make temporary law changes to help communities continue their recovery from the severe weather events of early 2023.
These law changes are temporary, apply only in specific severe weather-affected regions and must be made for the purposes of severe weather recovery.
