Our weekly wrap-up: Relief in stormy times and keeping you informed
Published on 17 February 2023
A message from our Mayor Len
“On Wednesday, I stood in the EOC operations centre with Transport Minister Michael Wood and watched as Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler led his team of 150 personnel from around the district through the morning briefing. I've never been more proud of our people, or more grateful for their selfless contributions.
Please continue to have patience and empathy while our council, contractors and other agencies like PowerCo work hard to try and restore essential services. Have some empathy for our people on the ground who have been working day and night to get things back to some semblance of normality. Right now and over the weekend and into next week our focus is on welfare, getting medicines, food and water to vulnerable and isolated communities and opening up access routes.
At the same time our hearts also go out to the people of Tairāwhiti, Napier, Wairoa, Hastings and all of the other districts that have been hit so hard. I’ve reached out to the Mayors in these districts to see how we can help them. They did the same for us when Cyclone Gabrielle was upon us.
Cyclone Gabrielle has been tough for everybody in our district. It followed five weeks of severe storm events and record-breaking rain. Our emergency roading budget was wiped out in the November storm. We’re now using retained earnings to pay for roading repairs. We’ve still got four months to go before the end of the financial year and the well is running dry.
That’s the stark reality of our situation. We’ve urged the Government for urgent assistance with the roading subsidy and support on many other levels.
The impact on our roading and infrastructure has been severe and we continue to work through that. We’re resourceful people in the Coromandel, but the longer-term effects are what have our Council concerned.
Central government needs to commit to a huge investment into our roading resilience and infrastructure capabilities, on a scale never seen before.
This is now a critical conversation which goes to the heart of our economic and social well-being as a community. And it has to be an “all party” commitment. Politicians from all sides need to commit to making the investments in our communities, and to working together to make it happen. Any politician who isn’t prepared to make that commitment isn’t welcome in my office.
Our economic and social well-being depends on reliable access to services and amenities. We have had three cabinet ministers visit in the last three weeks, and that message has been relayed to the government in the strongest possible terms.
The first funds have already arrived in our Mayoral Relief Fund, which we open today.
The real support needed will be tens of millions in the short-term and hundreds of millions in the long-term as we manage the effects of climate change.
Our Council started work on this three years ago with the Shoreline Management Plan programme. We ramped up the urgency in the week before Cyclone Hale, and with each passing week the need for long-term solutions has become more evident and more urgent.
This is going to be a long journey, with some difficult conversations and decisions along the way. We’re in this together, and there’s never been a more important need for that spirit of Coromandel resilience and support for each other to continue. Thank you."
Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund
We know the last week has been tough for many individuals, families, community organisations, small businesses and marae in the Coromandel. Cyclone Gabrielle has brought about some significant damage and loss of revenue to our district.
To help mitigate these losses and support our people, our Council has established the Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund.
The Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund is open to Thames-Coromandel District Council residents, ratepayers or small business owners, and not-for-profit organisations who have suffered financial hardship because of damages caused by the Cyclone Gabrielle weather event.
The Fund may be used to support and meet the needs of affected individuals, families, community organisations, small businesses and marae.
It can be used to provide financial support for:
- cleaning debris from properties where people are uninsured or underinsured
- supporting individuals/families faced with hardships as a result of the emergency
- assisting small businesses impacted by the emergency
- assisting people with basic needs, household goods and personal items where the individual/family is uninsured or underinsured
- assisting with insurance excess payments.
The aim of the fund is to help towards alleviating the emotional and financial stress experienced by individuals and families as a result of the event. The fund provides one-off assistance for extraordinary circumstances, where a real need can be shown.
The fund is a last resort measure when people have exhausted other appropriate sources such as Work and Income New Zealand, EQC and other government agencies.
“We’re grateful to the government for funding an initial contribution of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help flood affected communities in our district,” says Mayor Len. “This is the start of a raft of assistance packages we’re seeking as work through recovery of these extreme weather events.”
The closing date for applying to the fund is 10 March 2023.
Once closed, all applications will be assessed and available funds will be allocated proportionately to applicants that meet the criteria. The amount available to each applicant that meets the criteria is $1,000 or $2,500. The amount granted will depend on the circumstances of the applicant.
Applications for assistance must be made in writing on the Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund application form, available both as an online form or printable PDF.
For more information on ways to apply go to tcdc.govt.nz/relief.
Rates relief in stormy times
Our Council is doing all it can to help property-owners whose homes have been badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle. Properties that have been deemed uninhabitable (red stickered) are being granted a rates remission.
Usually, we ask home owners to apply for this remission. But in the case of this cyclone, we are automatically granting a rates remission during the period people’s properties are officially marked as uninhabitable.
In addition, we are extending the payment date for the current rates payments for all ratepayers, because of the weather-related obstacles to delivering rates notices and the difficulty for people to find ways to make payments with power and road disruptions. The date from which a late payment penalty will be applied for this instalment is being pushed out from 22 February 2023 to 15 March 2023.
Clean up in the Coromandel – What you need to know
As road access and essential services are beginning to reopen and be restored, the focus is turning to clean-up for our Council’s Civil Defence teams and contractors.
Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) across the district are now open to take rubbish from the clean-up. If you’ve got specific questions about what they can and can’t take, you can contact your local station directly. Kerbside collections resumed on Wednesday 15 February in Thames and (pending road closures) are expected to continue as normal next week.
Check kerbside schedules at tcdc.govt.nz/kerbside and find your local transfer station at tcdc.govt.nz/rts.
Our Civil Defence Controller Brian Carter says he knows communities have already been pulling together to get their homes cleaned up. He encouraged those from out of town to be cautious and make sure they were keeping themselves safe.
“The ground is water-logged and still unstable in many areas. Flood water can be contaminated so make sure you’re wearing gloves and other protective gear to keep yourself safe.”
Property owners are advised to take photos before anything is removed or repaired and report it to your insurance company as soon as possible so they can advise you on next steps.
If you need to make your home safe, sanitary, secure and weather tight, please take before and after photos, record the work done, and keep copies of the bills you paid for insurance purposes.
Mr Carter encouraged people to save old sandbags where they could be reused.
“Old sandbags can be taken to the Refuse Transfer Stations but please don’t put them in the general refuse pit. Ask at the entry kiosk for where they are being stored for potential reuse by our roading crews.”
Mr Carter also acknowledged there are some members of our community who are still without power and are cut off by slips.
“Our teams and partner agencies are working as fast as possible to restore access to our whole community. We’re here to support you, so please reach out to the many services available if you need help.”
Road updates
While most roads have now reopened to at least one lane, extreme caution is advised when travelling around the district. Check Council road updates on our website or Facebook page. Check Waka Kotahi for information about the state highways.
Welfare assistance
If you’ve been isolated and self-reliant since Cyclone Gabrielle struck but now find yourself needing some help to get welfare support such as food, fuel or medicine, contact ‘Here to help u’ from 8.30am to 5pm, 7 days, on 0800 568 273 or online at www.heretohelpu.nz.
If you are feeling frustrated or anxious or know someone who is struggling, there is help available:
- Free call or text 1737 anytime, 24 hours a day.
- You can also call Lifeline on 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357.
- Te Korowai Hauora o Hauraki Hinengaro Line for mental health support - 0508 111 555.
If you have health questions, phone Healthline on 0800 611 116. Healthline is staffed by experienced registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For financial assistance, contact Ministry of Social Development on 0800 400 100. Open 7am–5pm Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm Saturday, and 8am-1pm Sunday.
The Residential Advisory Service (RAS) within MBIE provides advocacy services and advice to homeowners who are navigating insurance claims to remediate damage suffered due to an event. info@advisory.org.nz 0800 777 299, 03 379 7027.
Conserve water notices lifted
Our Council is pleased to advise residents and visitors who are on Council’s public water supplies that the ‘Conserve Water Notices’ issued during Cyclone Gabrielle been lifted by Council on Thursday 16 February.
The notices were issued last week to limit their general water usage so that we could conserve the water supply. We thank residents and visitors for their support during this period.
Residents should note that the current restrictions on watering bans for garden, cleaning, etc. for each town/region are still in force and should be followed. See water restrictions for your area here.
Business impact survey
Please take part in this business impact survey to help us pull together information so we can provide evidence and data to central government about the real impacts of the 2023 weather events on our district.
This will help us to pull together a business case so we can access assistance and funding packages to support you.
Take the survey here.
Matarangi Open Spaces land purchase founders
Click to expand.
Community groups involved in a proposal to purchase open space land at Matarangi have made the call to no longer proceed with their plan.
The community-led proposal which was signposted in our 2021/2022 Annual Plan last year, was to secure the permanent protection of the Matarangi open space occupied by the current golf course, for the benefit of its residents and ratepayers.
Our Council received a formal notification from Matarangi Land Holdings Limited (MLHL) on 8 December that it has decided to withdraw from the proposed Matarangi Open Space land purchase Heads of Agreement with our Council and Matarangi Community Trust (MCT) because its shareholders were not able to reach an agreement on the final proposal.
The original proposal was supported and developed in partnership with the MCT and MLHL. Our Council’s contribution was to buy an area of 13.9 hectares (holes 3-7) for $1.25 million (plus GST), with the budget for the purchase coming from our existing reserve budgets.
The agreement was made contingent on MLHL and MCT raising the funds required for their investment in the land. A final Heads of Agreement between all parties was signed by our Council at its meeting on 13 September 2022, then sent to MLHL and MCT for approval and signing on 29 September 2022.
Following the formal notification by MLHL to withdraw, our Council discussed its position in the ‘public excluded’ section of its first meeting of the year, on 26 January 2023.
It was resolved to formally respond to MLHL and MCT by letter, advising them that that the $1.25 million would be removed from our 2022/2023 capital expenditure budget, that any future proposal would be treated as a separate matter, and that our decisions would be made publicly available.
Let's talk rubbish
We want to hear from you about what more we can we be doing to minimise the amount of district waste going to landfill.
We’re developing a proposed action plan over the next six years towards achieving this goal – which is described in the draft Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. We would like your feedback to fine tune the draft plan.
“We have an opportunity with this Plan to develop a strategy to put our Council on the map as a leader, innovator and example to other councils of best practice in waste minimisation,” says our Mayor Len Salt.
“Waste is expensive, so investing now in innovative ways to reduce the amount of waste we all produce can pay big dividends down the line. Please share your innovative ideas about managing waste with us,” says Mayor Len.
Go to tcdc.govt.nz/wmmp to read the draft plan and fill in the short survey.
Coromandel Arts and Creative Studios Strategy Review
Creative Coromandel has decided to postpone the Whangamatā and Tairua/Pāuanui hui to allow 'breathing space' and for essential road access work to be completed.
These hui are to to discuss the feedback on the Coromandel Arts and Creative Industries Strategy review. Creative Coromandel intend to have new dates for the postponed meetings next week. See their website here.
Meetings and Community Board updates
Our Coromandel-Colville and Mercury Bay Community Boards met for their first meetings of the year. We have some highlights for you to read below. The February Thames, Whangamatā and Tairua-Pāuanui Community Board meetings were rescheduled due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Coromandel-Colville Community Board meeting highlights:
- Councillor John Morrissey was formally appointed to the Coromandel-Colville Community Board.
- The Board welcomed Sidney Wales from Biosecurity who gave a presentation on the invasive seaweed, Exotic Caulerpa, and what has been done to reduce the risk of spread. This has included Controlled Area Notices (CANs) and rāhui to restrict activities where the seaweed had been found on Aotea Great Barrier and Ahuahu (Great Mercury) as well as a new, long-term behaviour change campaign that will replace the need for CANs.
- The Board considered four nominations from Local Government New Zealand for the Community Board Executive Committee for Zone Two (the zone in which our Council sits). Zone meetings are an opportunity to network with neighbouring regions, and to discuss the zone’s perspective on national and local issues relevant to its geographical area. The Board put forward a vote for Carolyn Hamill from Whakatane-Ohope Community Board.
- Our Council’s Project Delivery Manager Andrew Boden gave an update on the Te Kōuma Road intersection project, to improve truck movements to/from SH25. The revised Geotech design is underway with a review by Waka Kotahi expected to start at the end of January.
Mercury Bay Community Board meeting highlights:
In their first meeting of the year, Board members heard from a busy public forum about interest in a cycleway in Whitianga, security cameras, a desire to see the Whitianga Ferry service made eligible for Super Gold Card users, and how much this summer of storms has hurt local business. In a vote on the Mercury Way Cycleway Development Project (item 4.2 in the meeting agenda) the Board approved option 1 as the preferred option, to install a cycle lane on both sides of Cook Drive, Kupe Drive and South Highway East. In their update on the area’s capital works programme, the Board heard that there have been further delays to the new Whitianga Refuse Transfer Station project, both from inflation driving up the cost of materials and the extremely soggy weather impeding construction. We’ll have further updates on the new timeframe for this project soon.
Dogs in our pound
We have two dogs in our pound.
The first tan (top) dog is looking for his new forever home. He is a very happy, go-lucky kind of dog.
The white and black dog (bottom) was found in Thames on Thursday 16 February and waiting for his owner to collect him.
If you are interested in adopting the tan dog, or you are or know the owner of the white and black dog, please give us a call on 07 868 0200 or see here for more information on adoption.
Work with us
Are you ready to change your scene? Our Council is hiring now and we have opportunities for engineers, planners, administrators and more.
Flexible working, fantastic culture and great lifestyle.
Check out our job vacancies here.