MAUREEN PUGH
My heart goes out to those people who have experienced loss and damage in the recent severe weather events. I know from personal experience that the impacts are long-lived.
However, it has shown once again that communities care and the wonderful voluntary response during the clean-up phase is testament to how people in all communities look out for one another. It’s a big part of what makes New Zealand such a special place in which to live.
Feedback from land owners is that a lot of waterways are clogged up and water is not getting away fast enough when there is sustained heavy rain. Cleaning out under small bridges and culverts, and having easy access to rivers to ensure they are managed in anticipation of these extreme weather events is something that needs urgent attention. I know from the land owners I have spoken to that they would much prefer to be maintaining these waterways than having to deal with the mess, recovery and heartache of a clean-up.
There needs to be easier, quicker access to the waterways for the basic preventative work that must be done.
There are countless bridges which have piles that need to be unclogged and many small rural bridges that have aggraded to the point where water levels above the norm cause problems. Bridge approaches wash out and the repairs are costly. This is false economy. Preventative maintenance is much better than undertaking major emergency clean-ups, often under intense pressure because lives and livelihoods have been disrupted.
The same challenges are in front of every council in the country so my colleagues and I are working on some ideas that will offer solutions. This is a great example of how central and local government can work together. It’s a good time to remind everyone to vote in the upcoming local elections – you will receive your voting papers in the mail from Friday 16 September and the voting closes at 12 noon on Saturday 08 October, with provisional results out later that day. With so many important issues out there at the moment, why wouldn’t you exercise your right to have a say? Besides, this time it’s a quicker process because there’s less people to vote for since the Government has done away with District Health Boards.
In the meantime if you have some thoughts or viewpoints on how we can mitigate the damage that is being caused from flooding, I would love to hear them. maureen.pughmp@parliament.govt.nz
My thoughts and best wishes to those who are cleaning up their damaged properties and a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who is lending a hand with this huge effort.
