January 21, 2026 • 6 mins
Federated Farmers’ Bay of Plenty president and Gisborne-based national board member give an update on the flooding and slips in their region.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Trouble around the country today after massive rainfall and the
associated slips. We're going to stay in the Bay of Plenty.
Brent Mountfitt is the Federated Farmer's President for Baya Plenty.
But before we go to home, let's go to the
East Coast, Gisbane, East Coast Region. Sandra Faulkner, local farmer,
National board member for Federated Farmers. We'll start with you, Sandra,
(00:23):
how a thing. How our underfoot conditions?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, it's pretty bloody we've underfoot to be fair, but
it's I don't know if you can hear in the background,
I'm standing next to some motive posh and the soakatas
are going nuts. It is a glorious day right here.
But I'm in gum boots pretty much up to my
ankles and land is moving around us.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Well, I guess the good news is this will aid
in the recovery a fine spell.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Oh absolutely, And of course it's just fantastic for morale
as much as anything you have for those that are
out helping, And you know, a huge shout out to
those teams that have watched over our districts and our
communities through the hours of darkness, because that's when it's toughest.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I don't like to make comparisons to Gabrielle, but it
is the mother of all recent storms anyhow. I mean
the numbers for rainfall in some cases exceed Gabrielle in
some areas. What about you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, well we're.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Nearly five hundred mills since Christmas. That's half our annual
rainfall in two or three weeks. So it's a bit crazy.
And I know Minister Mitchell was saying earlier land subsidence,
you know, slipping where water has got into places where
it probably shouldn't be in vath quantities. We are going
(01:43):
to see ongoing damage. This is going to be a
creeping damage. I suspect as it becomes a parent.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, you're dead right, it's not. It's not exactly as
though it just dries out and you don't have to
worry about landslips. It's a real issue. Okay, let's go
to the Bay of Plenty. In fact, he is very
much eastern. They have plenty. He's farming at where are
you farming? Sorry, Brent?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Apologies? Yeah, madatar you Yeah, so I'm up in the hills. Basically,
there's a Hill Range that runs from Rua to the coast,
and I'm up on that so on one side of
my out towards the Western Bay and on.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And don't you just love mobile coverage in this country.
If we've still got your brains, okay, well, just hopefully
Brent will come back to life in the meantime, Sandra,
you've got a bat for time here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, no, absolutely, And I think probably key messaging today
is as a shout out to those teams that are
still supporting families and communities that have been cut off.
EXUS obviously has gone by road in a lot of
cases overnight there were small communities up the coast lost
(03:00):
both their power and their telecommunications. So that's when these
events get really lonely, when you feel like you're doing
it on their own. So yeah, the teams that have
been supporting outstanding, And you mentioned Gabriel. For us, it's
actually putting everything we learned, everything that's Gabriel taught us,
(03:20):
putting all that in place. So that's super important for Goodson.
Tivity Key now is going to be accessed. Of course,
we lost access to the north through the Gorge through
State h Iowa two a week ago. That's now going
to be compounded by this event. Never mind the fact
that the crews are just not going to be on
(03:42):
site to be continuing to work on that gorge. So
for producers, our freeh produce, livestock going to market, and
just families disconnected with that gorge rode out.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well that's a real issue.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Been a bit of a major isn't that.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
The gorge road's going to be out for months? I
hear rather than weeks? And then the state I was
at thirty five the other one and going right round
that's out at the moment. So the only access is
really from the south. I think we might have Brent
Mountford back on from Hello Brent, have you climbed to
a top of top of a hill somewhere for me?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Look, there's connectivities mostly another discussion for another day.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Absolutely great discussion today. I was only two great discussion today.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, well, Brent, there'll be there'll be a lot less
traffic passing through Martatar, I guess simply because of the
the blockage and the gorge.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, that's right, that's exactly right, because that you know,
it's the main trunk line between the port, our main
export port and and in Gibsbon. You know, it's a
real can sin because there's a lot of and I'm
guessing touched on this, there's a lot of produce that
has to get up our weight because there's a lot
(05:01):
of people up our weight that Gismond sends this way
fresh produce to sell.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Absolutely, and I know that the Kiwi fruit industry is
very worried about getting that road clad State Highway too.
I think it is before Kiwi fruit harvest begins. Okay, Brent,
you've been talking to some of your farmers in the
Bay are plenty. What are they telling you? What are
you hearing?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
So up in the Western Bay so cutty cuffy and
in that area there they got a lot of rain
and it was sort of more like coramandel, which really
got whacked interesting enough, only about twenty k's away. One
of my other farmers who's close and against the crimes there,
they've only got one hundred and ten mills, you know.
(05:40):
But that was talking to them before six o'clock last night.
I haven't next seen the numbers since. But some of
the areas we were worried about down on the plains here,
they didn't get the water we did so it tended
to fall up in the hill. So we got over
two and forty mills here.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, And I got a text and from Jeff Crawford
up the Northland, who we spoke to on yesterday's show.
He's saying they're up over six hundred mills in Northland.
So these have been horrendous rainfall numbers. Hey, guys, look
I've got to go. I've just got it. This is
a moving feast today. I've just got a text in
from the Prime Minister, so I don't mean to drop
Federated Farmers for the PM, but he's on a busy
(06:18):
time frame as well.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Could I just put one thing out yes, where you
go If anyone's got any concerns and is worried, there's
two numbers. One is they can call eight hundred farming,
which is Federated Farmers or the Rules of Port Trust
which is eight hundred seven eight seven two five.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Four yeap Federated Farmers. You're doing a great job. Thanks
to your time, guys. There we go, Sandra not Sandra,
Sandra Faulkner and Brent Mountfitt from Federated Farmers
Trouble around the country today after massive rainfall and the
associated slips. We're going to stay in the Bay of Plenty.
Brent Mountfitt is the Federated Farmer's President for Baya Plenty.
But before we go to home, let's go to the
East Coast, Gisbane, East Coast Region. Sandra Faulkner, local farmer,
National board member for Federated Farmers. We'll start with you, Sandra,
(00:23):
how a thing. How our underfoot conditions?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, it's pretty bloody we've underfoot to be fair, but
it's I don't know if you can hear in the background,
I'm standing next to some motive posh and the soakatas
are going nuts. It is a glorious day right here.
But I'm in gum boots pretty much up to my
ankles and land is moving around us.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Well, I guess the good news is this will aid
in the recovery a fine spell.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Oh absolutely, And of course it's just fantastic for morale
as much as anything you have for those that are
out helping, And you know, a huge shout out to
those teams that have watched over our districts and our
communities through the hours of darkness, because that's when it's toughest.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I don't like to make comparisons to Gabrielle, but it
is the mother of all recent storms anyhow. I mean
the numbers for rainfall in some cases exceed Gabrielle in
some areas. What about you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, well we're.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Nearly five hundred mills since Christmas. That's half our annual
rainfall in two or three weeks. So it's a bit crazy.
And I know Minister Mitchell was saying earlier land subsidence,
you know, slipping where water has got into places where
it probably shouldn't be in vath quantities. We are going
(01:43):
to see ongoing damage. This is going to be a
creeping damage. I suspect as it becomes a parent.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, you're dead right, it's not. It's not exactly as
though it just dries out and you don't have to
worry about landslips. It's a real issue. Okay, let's go
to the Bay of Plenty. In fact, he is very
much eastern. They have plenty. He's farming at where are
you farming? Sorry, Brent?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Apologies? Yeah, madatar you Yeah, so I'm up in the hills. Basically,
there's a Hill Range that runs from Rua to the coast,
and I'm up on that so on one side of
my out towards the Western Bay and on.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
And don't you just love mobile coverage in this country.
If we've still got your brains, okay, well, just hopefully
Brent will come back to life in the meantime, Sandra,
you've got a bat for time here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Yeah, no, absolutely, And I think probably key messaging today
is as a shout out to those teams that are
still supporting families and communities that have been cut off.
EXUS obviously has gone by road in a lot of
cases overnight there were small communities up the coast lost
(03:00):
both their power and their telecommunications. So that's when these
events get really lonely, when you feel like you're doing
it on their own. So yeah, the teams that have
been supporting outstanding, And you mentioned Gabriel. For us, it's
actually putting everything we learned, everything that's Gabriel taught us,
(03:20):
putting all that in place. So that's super important for Goodson.
Tivity Key now is going to be accessed. Of course,
we lost access to the north through the Gorge through
State h Iowa two a week ago. That's now going
to be compounded by this event. Never mind the fact
that the crews are just not going to be on
(03:42):
site to be continuing to work on that gorge. So
for producers, our freeh produce, livestock going to market, and
just families disconnected with that gorge rode out.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well that's a real issue.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Been a bit of a major isn't that.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
The gorge road's going to be out for months? I
hear rather than weeks? And then the state I was
at thirty five the other one and going right round
that's out at the moment. So the only access is
really from the south. I think we might have Brent
Mountford back on from Hello Brent, have you climbed to
a top of top of a hill somewhere for me?
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Look, there's connectivities mostly another discussion for another day.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Absolutely great discussion today. I was only two great discussion today.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, well, Brent, there'll be there'll be a lot less
traffic passing through Martatar, I guess simply because of the
the blockage and the gorge.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, that's right, that's exactly right, because that you know,
it's the main trunk line between the port, our main
export port and and in Gibsbon. You know, it's a
real can sin because there's a lot of and I'm
guessing touched on this, there's a lot of produce that
has to get up our weight because there's a lot
(05:01):
of people up our weight that Gismond sends this way
fresh produce to sell.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Absolutely, and I know that the Kiwi fruit industry is
very worried about getting that road clad State Highway too.
I think it is before Kiwi fruit harvest begins. Okay, Brent,
you've been talking to some of your farmers in the
Bay are plenty. What are they telling you? What are
you hearing?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
So up in the Western Bay so cutty cuffy and
in that area there they got a lot of rain
and it was sort of more like coramandel, which really
got whacked interesting enough, only about twenty k's away. One
of my other farmers who's close and against the crimes there,
they've only got one hundred and ten mills, you know.
(05:40):
But that was talking to them before six o'clock last night.
I haven't next seen the numbers since. But some of
the areas we were worried about down on the plains here,
they didn't get the water we did so it tended
to fall up in the hill. So we got over
two and forty mills here.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Yeah, And I got a text and from Jeff Crawford
up the Northland, who we spoke to on yesterday's show.
He's saying they're up over six hundred mills in Northland.
So these have been horrendous rainfall numbers. Hey, guys, look
I've got to go. I've just got it. This is
a moving feast today. I've just got a text in
from the Prime Minister, so I don't mean to drop
Federated Farmers for the PM, but he's on a busy
(06:18):
time frame as well.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Could I just put one thing out yes, where you
go If anyone's got any concerns and is worried, there's
two numbers. One is they can call eight hundred farming,
which is Federated Farmers or the Rules of Port Trust
which is eight hundred seven eight seven two five.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Four yeap Federated Farmers. You're doing a great job. Thanks
to your time, guys. There we go, Sandra not Sandra,
Sandra Faulkner and Brent Mountfitt from Federated Farmers
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