Cyclone Gabrielle two years on

Nō te whenua te mana, ko te whenua anō. Ka poipoia inaianei mō āpōpō.

Today marks two years since Cyclone Gabrielle struck parts of Te Ika a Māui leaving a path of damage and impacting whānau, communities and the whenua.

Dr Charlotte Severne, Māori Trustee, said that our thoughts are with those whānau who continue to be impacted by not only Gabrielle, but other recent adverse weather.

“Much has been achieved as part of remediation efforts across the most affected regions and many communities have been working together to build their resilience capabilities, following ongoing adverse events.

But remediation is only one part of the recovery journey. We need to be continually learning from these events and working collaboratively to ensure we keep our whānau and communities safe.”

The Māori Trustee administers more than 78,000 hectares of whenua Māori across Aotearoa, with almost 20,000 hectares in the most Cyclone Gabrielle affected regions of Te Tairāwhiti, Te Wairoa and Matau-a-Māui.

Dr Severne acknowledges the support from Cyclone relief funding received that has enabled remediation work on more than 190 whenua Māori blocks that she administers in those regions. Enabling the whenua to be returned to a productive state so it can continue to provide income for the owners.

Since the cyclone, Te Tumu Paeroa has been working to strengthen relationships with local authorities and enhance its GIS mapping capabilities to ensure we are better able to respond quickly and efficiently when these events occur. 

Related stories: 

• Funding supports remediation of whenua | Te Tumu Paeroa (Oct 2024)
• Supporting the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle | Te Tumu Paeroa (Oct 2024)
• Update on the Māori Trustee Response to Cyclone Gabrielle | Te Tumu Paeroa (May 2023)
• Māori Trustee sends message of support following Cyclone Gabrielle | Te Tumu Paeroa (Feb 2023)