Video: Hawke's Bay growers disappointed that they were left out of Govt's pre-Budget recovery package
Hawke’s Bay growers are disappointed that there was no new funding for their recovery in the Government’s pre-Budget package announced here this week, saying it left them in limbo.
A $1 billion flooding relief package that “covers the basics” was announced by the Prime Minister and Cyclone Recovery Minister in Taradale on Sunday, but there was nothing new for Hawke’s Bay’s embattled growers.
Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson, along with a number of Cabinet Ministers and local MPS Anna Lorck and Stuart Nash, made the pre-Budget announcement at a stopbank behind the Pettigrew Green Arena and were questioned by media about why funds for growers were not part of the package.
The Prime Minister and his team met with growers for lunch but left with no firm figures on how they will fund the growers’ recovery.
Hawke’s Bay Fruit Growers Association President, Brydon Nisbet, told Hawke’s Bay App today that while local growers are not closing the door on discussions, they are disappointed.
“Growers are disappointed because it's still leaving them in limbo. They need to make decisions. They need surety from government and they haven't got that yet. So there's disappointment there.”
“There's hope that the government want to engage. We had a meeting with them on Sunday. They do want to engage, they want to work with us, they want to partner with us. How that looks is the million-dollar question.”
“It was a good meeting. It was a lunch first and a good meeting. But we made it clear that we were disappointed. Because there's also a biological time clock going too, with how long, with the silt and the trees. Trees don't stop. So there's a timeframe, trees don't stop. They'll continue to grow or they'll continue to fade away and die in the silt.”
“And that's the urgency that we're talking about. And so that growers can think, oh right, okay, so the government's going to come here, they're going to help. Because this was more than an act of God. This was more than a flood; this was a catastrophic failure of stopbanks. They collapsed everywhere and through no fault of our own, we've got orchards that are devastated and full of silt because of bad stopbanks, not because the water went over the bank.”
At the announcement on Sunday, Robertson said that a significant amount of money had already gone in “to support businesses, our growers and our farmers to be able to do things like remediate buildings, remove silt and so on”.
“And we just had an additional package about silt and debris remove announced just last week to be able to carry that work on. Those sector plans, and I think here particularly of the likes of the horticulture sector, are significant.”
Robertson, who is also the Finance Minister, said the government had received other reports from the sector and the Ministry of Primary Industries as well.
“And the commitment that I can make today is that over the next few weeks we will work with those sectors on options for how we support that recovery. We are a committed partner in doing this, but I think everyone will understand that the government can't pay for every dollar of a recovery or a rebuild of a sector because sadly these weather events are happening more and more often.”
“What we can do is work out ways that we can make sure the sector can rebuild and recover. And that piece of work is ongoing and we will cover off more of that in future announcements. So it's still the rolling maul, but this is a pretty significant rolling maul.”
Nisbet says the simple fact is that growers need grants.
“They need a help up to get re-established again to reinstate crops. Growers can't afford to do that. Some of the orchards are an absolute mess, some are devastated, some are full of silt. It costs a huge amount of money to get rid of that. And then to get rid of it and then to start again is a huge cost. And growers need government help to get back on their feet.”
Nisbet acknowledged that the Government had provided initial funding for growers.
“So yes, there's an initial payment of 2000 a hectare, up to a maximum of 20 hectares, $40,000. Two weeks ago they did a silt and debris recovery fund grant capped at 210,000 hectares. A lot of people are spending a lot more than that, getting rid of silt, but they're still capped at 210. But it's still appreciated. It's still a help. It's 50-50 up to that. So if you spend 420,000, you'll get the cap of 210.”
Nisbet says that the money for silt removal had not been received yet.
“They've announced it, so they're just working through people here and just working through the criteria for that. And then setting up an online platform where people can apply and submit the various receipts. A lot for the people that have gone on and done it. Some people that might be enough to get them to start working to get the silt out if they can afford the other 50%.”
“That's only a small part. The next part is the reinstatement of crops, the re-establishment of crops, trees. That's the big part. And that's where growers need surety of. They need some direction in that because they can't move without that.”
“There's no point getting the silt out if there's no more money, or they're told they have to fund it all themselves. A lot of growers, just can't afford that. And a lot of growers won't want to do that.”
Nisbet says: “In a nutshell, growers are disappointed. There's nothing in the billion dollar announcement on Sunday for horticulture. There was, yes, stopbanks, they get a hundred million to stopbanks eroding, money into schools and some mental health, but nothing for horticulture. So that was disappointing to hear.”
“But they have said they want to work with us and work with the banks, and they're going to come back to us in early June with some ideas of that. So we're still holding out hope.”
Hipkins was asked when growers and homeowners who are buried in silt, homeless and winter on its way will get some certainty,
Hipkins said: “Issues around managed retreat are complex issues. If you look at the post Canterbury situation for example, it took some time to work through to make sure that the right decisions were being taken. So we've got to make sure that we are doing that fairly and robustly and transparently and that does take some time. We're working as quickly as we can. We acknowledge the pressure that the current situation is placing families under.”
Asked by Hawke’s Bay App if he personally had been talking to growers, Robertson said: “
I have, but I've also got colleagues such as Anna Lorck and Stuart Nash here who do that every day. Also through our cyclone recovery task force, also through the Ministry of Primary Industries.”
“We're acutely aware, as the Prime Minister's already indicated, of those frustrations that people have. We have provided emergency support; we've now got a second package of sediment support and now we've got today and it will just keep going. So we do understand that. When it comes to frustrations to do with timing, no one will be more frustrated about that than me because we put the money out there, we want it spent, and so we'll continue to work with the agencies that are responsible for delivering that to be able to meet those needs.”
