Govt beefing up Hawke’s Bay cyclone clean-up capacity

“Cyclone Gabrielle was the worst storm New Zealand has ever seen, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking said in Hawke’s Bay today.

The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount of waste and rubbish the cyclone left in its wake

“Cyclone Gabrielle was the worst storm New Zealand has ever seen, Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking said in Hawke’s Bay today.

“It carried all manner of materials in its path, including household contents, building materials, machinery and plastics.

“It also severely damaged the region’s waste infrastructure, and that’s made the job of cleaning up after the cyclone even harder.

“Helping communities get back on their feet after the devastating weather that hit Hawke’s Bay and other parts of the country earlier this year is a real priority for the Government.

“That’s why I’m really pleased to announce that we are allocating another $2.1 million from the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund (Te Pūtea Whakamauru Para) to boost the region’s waste-processing capacity,” Rachel Brooking said.

The latest lot of funding is going to:

Hastings District Council: $680,000 to improve construction and demolition recovery at the Henderson Road Refuse Transfer Station, including treated and untreated timber, glass, plasterboard and horticultural PVC and high-density polyethylene that would otherwise end up in landfill.

Phoenix Contracting: $550,250 towards a new shredder to meet the increased demand to process construction and demolition waste, as well as with woody debris and green waste for composting.

Hog Fuel NZ: $875,000 towards purchasing two slow grinders, an excavator and a Trommel screen (a machine used to separate materials in the waste process).

“These organisations play a key role minimising waste in Hawke’s Bay, diverting materials from landfill and reducing waste-related emissions,” Rachel Brooking said.

“Not only does this funding help increase local waste infrastructure and enable greater recovery of valuable resources, it is also a significant investment in the local area for years to come.” 

The grants are on top of $988,300 announced in May for Hawke’s Bay organics processing facility BioRich to help repair its Awatoto compost site. Biorich converts organic waste that would otherwise emit emissions in landfill into high-quality compost. It has now completed the first stage of repairs and is open to the public.

(With Inputs from New Zealand Government Press Release)