The effort to rebuild and repair Tairāwhiti’s cyclone and storm damaged bridges is making steady progress. In a major milestone, over half of the 97 bridges requiring major repairs are now complete. Minor repair work is also advancing, reaching 47% completion for the 36 affected bridges.

Following Cyclone Gabrielle, communities were encouraged and supported to develop recovery plans to identify and prioritize their needs. Funding was made available through the Council to support these plans. Tiniroto was one of 25 communities that embraced this opportunity as part of the region’s pathway to recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Woody debris in rivers and on our beaches is an all-too-familiar sight following heavy rain events. While it's not something we welcome, it's now an expected consequence of nature's forces.

Over 370 slip and dropout repairs, 87 culvert replacements and hundreds of kilometres of drainage upgrades across more than 145 rural roads. And the list goes on . . . 

Mayor Rehette Stoltz reflects on 2 years since Cyclone Gabrielle changed our region forever.

It seems there’s a bit of confusion out there about the opt-in text alert system.
When TEMO sent out the MetService Orange Heavy Rain Warning the other day, it went to more than 4000 subscribers with a less than 1% fail rate.

The widespread attention to Tairāwhiti’s trifecta of local government awards underlines for the team the importance of the work they do for the region to ensure all communities – no matter how remote – have the best possible chance of being self-sufficient for days during a catastrophic emergency.

The future of ensuring New Zealanders have the best chance of self-sufficiency after a catastrophic event was unveiled in Gisborne on Friday by the Tairāwhiti Emergency Management Office.

Starting this week, a helicopter will be used to conduct riverbed mapping of the following rivers: Te Arai, Waipaoa, Taruheru, Waimata, Ūawa, Hikuwai, Mangaheia, Mangahauini, Waiotu, Makarika, Waiapu, and Poroporo.

It’s hard not to feel the air of sadness that hangs around Geoff and Raewynn Foreman’s Fergusson Drive property despite the clear progression of work to restore and protect it.