October 27, 2025 • 6 mins
The Minister for Emergency Management updates on the devastation in the deep south and says he is disappointed by some criticism of the Government’s response.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kicking off the show is the Minister for Emergency Management,
Mark Mitchell, who's a very busy man. Mark, you've been
down in the South over the weekend having a look
for yourself. I think you're going to head to Canterbury today,
Culvid and how bad is it down there?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, I mean down south. As you know, you've been
on the ground in your south. The big challenge of
course has been powered down and communications as well, so
you get the double whammy. And of course it's really
hit our rule sector and farmers hard, especially those that
are trying to milk cows, and so there's been a
big focus on animal wealthare from central government point of view.
(00:40):
From my point of view, it was just quite simply
on day one finding as many generators as we could
and getting them down on the ground. And I just
want to give a shout out to New Zeland Defense
Forces because they really stepped up and gave us the
support we needed. We had see one thirty hrks finance
and for cargar with generators our net. Those guys are
(01:01):
working flat out to get the power restored. I really
want to acknowledge them and especially those crews that are
out on the ground we stopped and spoke with some
of the crews on the ground yesterday. They're still working
in really difficult conditions. I mean you would have seen
the power of that wind, the size of those trees
that have literally been lifted out of the ground like
toothpicks trying all over the place, and just mess destruction,
(01:24):
especially in terms of the power network. So it is
a big job getting it restored.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
And congratulations for acting quickly, getting the generators, getting the
Air Force involved, getting the army involved. That's all God.
And this is a bit of a tough one, this one.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I think you've given one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
average dairy farmers probably losing ten or twenty grand at
least over this event. Is that enough or is it
the government's job to give any money in these situations.
I know you've got your meroral relief funds and all that,
but there is criticism, for instance, mark on the front
page of the ODI Tea farmers and residents criticize support.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah. I'm not sure why, because everyone has responded, whether
it be the local response with the volunteers that i'd
see in the eocs, whether it be our first responders,
whether it be a government response. New Zealand Defense Force
is stepping up. My own agency, NIMA have served stuff
in there and it's primarily to support our rule sector
and our farmers. So I don't really know why or
(02:27):
how that priticism comes forward. I don't think it's fair
at all to all of those people that are doing
everything that they can to try and support them. We
understand how tough it is. I know that we're now
four or five days into this. I've been very clear
about the fact that you know, there's a bit of
a human cost fatigue starts to set in and asked
(02:48):
especially those farmers or people in the rule sector that
need help, to put their hands up for help. We've
got very good, wealthy teams that are inside those eocs
that can identify what the needs are and address them.
The Male Relief Fund is not designed to be substantial
financial support. It's quitetictantly simply designed to help the mayors
and the councils with immediate needs. And so you know,
(03:11):
we have approved funds to go to five of the
councils down south to be able to deal with to
gither some cash to be able to deal with those
immediate needs, and then the government agencies will work through
a process to identify what other forms of government support
needs to needs to flow in. But I'm sorry, Jamie,
I've been on the ground. I've seen the bud, sweat
(03:32):
and tears, the huge effort that is going in to
support our rural sector and our farmers, and it would
be a bit it would be nice to see a
bit of acknowledgment around that.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, fair comment. Well, look when it comes to those
the numbers around power, because that is the major issue
down there in Southland still six two hundred and fifty
customers without power, two and a half thousand in Otago,
mainly in southwest Otago because it came right through the
bottom of the country. Are the outlining consumers. This is
(04:04):
going to be weeks before they get their power back.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah. So Pound, they've done a very good job from
day one and trying to get good communications out there.
We have done the same thing to be realistic about
the time that it's going to take to get that
network completely up and running again. Most of the towns
and urban centers they've restored power. That I mean, the
challenges that I on the ground is quite simply. Farmers
are dealing with windbreaks that have come down, trees have
(04:30):
come down and damaged fences, especially boundary fences. They've got
a lot on their plate and they've got a lot
to deal with. But those trees have also taken down
their own power that are coming off the main powers
and the main power lines, and so it does take
time for the teams to be able to fix both
those elements of it. And I saw two or three jobs, yes,
so they where they're working flat out to do that.
(04:51):
The one thing that power Net's trying to do is
sort of come up with a plan around where the
power will come on so that we have a better
idea of how to reposition andition those generators to make
sure that we are getting generators onto the farms. We
are consto the fact that that yes, you're right, it's
not just about milking the cows, it's about chillers. It's
about water in particular, and trying to get the power
(05:15):
there is to provide that support. I think looking out
having met with the Rural Trust, with fed farmers and
with Fonterra was and in the cargo, you know, it's
pretty clear that that there's going to have to be
some ford planning around on farm generators and secretary power
(05:35):
source in the event of this type of thing happening again.
And in a large part why the farmers probably haven't
turned their mind to that is because we haven't. The
area has not really ever been hit with an event
like this before.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Just to finish on, you're in Canterbury today and it's
not only Southland Southwest Otago that was hammered. We know,
particularly Inland and Culvid in the Amuri Valley I think
is the geographic region they've been decimated as well.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, they have. I mean it's our really remote rural
communities that have been impacted the hardest, and that's why
everyone's tried to be very realistic and honest about the
timings in terms of the restoration of power and making
sure that we can get as much support out to
those more isolated rural communities so that they don't feel
like they're out there sitting on their own, that they
(06:24):
do feel like there's some support there for them, and
that everyone's weakned as hard as they can to make
sure that support actually gets them.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Okay, Mark Mitchell, thank you very much for your time.
Today and your capacity as Minister for Emergency Management. Keep
up the good work with police as well, like what
you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Thank you mate. I think I'll have to tune into
the show later because I want to hear you have
that discussion with Damian O'Connor around capital gains tax.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
I promise you I won't disappoint you.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
See you later. I'm sure you won't see you, ye,
Kicking off the show is the Minister for Emergency Management,
Mark Mitchell, who's a very busy man. Mark, you've been
down in the South over the weekend having a look
for yourself. I think you're going to head to Canterbury today,
Culvid and how bad is it down there?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Well, I mean down south. As you know, you've been
on the ground in your south. The big challenge of
course has been powered down and communications as well, so
you get the double whammy. And of course it's really
hit our rule sector and farmers hard, especially those that
are trying to milk cows, and so there's been a
big focus on animal wealthare from central government point of view.
(00:40):
From my point of view, it was just quite simply
on day one finding as many generators as we could
and getting them down on the ground. And I just
want to give a shout out to New Zeland Defense
Forces because they really stepped up and gave us the
support we needed. We had see one thirty hrks finance
and for cargar with generators our net. Those guys are
(01:01):
working flat out to get the power restored. I really
want to acknowledge them and especially those crews that are
out on the ground we stopped and spoke with some
of the crews on the ground yesterday. They're still working
in really difficult conditions. I mean you would have seen
the power of that wind, the size of those trees
that have literally been lifted out of the ground like
toothpicks trying all over the place, and just mess destruction,
(01:24):
especially in terms of the power network. So it is
a big job getting it restored.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
And congratulations for acting quickly, getting the generators, getting the
Air Force involved, getting the army involved. That's all God.
And this is a bit of a tough one, this one.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
You know.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I think you've given one hundred and fifty thousand dollars
average dairy farmers probably losing ten or twenty grand at
least over this event. Is that enough or is it
the government's job to give any money in these situations.
I know you've got your meroral relief funds and all that,
but there is criticism, for instance, mark on the front
page of the ODI Tea farmers and residents criticize support.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah. I'm not sure why, because everyone has responded, whether
it be the local response with the volunteers that i'd
see in the eocs, whether it be our first responders,
whether it be a government response. New Zealand Defense Force
is stepping up. My own agency, NIMA have served stuff
in there and it's primarily to support our rule sector
and our farmers. So I don't really know why or
(02:27):
how that priticism comes forward. I don't think it's fair
at all to all of those people that are doing
everything that they can to try and support them. We
understand how tough it is. I know that we're now
four or five days into this. I've been very clear
about the fact that you know, there's a bit of
a human cost fatigue starts to set in and asked
(02:48):
especially those farmers or people in the rule sector that
need help, to put their hands up for help. We've
got very good, wealthy teams that are inside those eocs
that can identify what the needs are and address them.
The Male Relief Fund is not designed to be substantial
financial support. It's quitetictantly simply designed to help the mayors
and the councils with immediate needs. And so you know,
(03:11):
we have approved funds to go to five of the
councils down south to be able to deal with to
gither some cash to be able to deal with those
immediate needs, and then the government agencies will work through
a process to identify what other forms of government support
needs to needs to flow in. But I'm sorry, Jamie,
I've been on the ground. I've seen the bud, sweat
(03:32):
and tears, the huge effort that is going in to
support our rural sector and our farmers, and it would
be a bit it would be nice to see a
bit of acknowledgment around that.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, fair comment. Well, look when it comes to those
the numbers around power, because that is the major issue
down there in Southland still six two hundred and fifty
customers without power, two and a half thousand in Otago,
mainly in southwest Otago because it came right through the
bottom of the country. Are the outlining consumers. This is
(04:04):
going to be weeks before they get their power back.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah. So Pound, they've done a very good job from
day one and trying to get good communications out there.
We have done the same thing to be realistic about
the time that it's going to take to get that
network completely up and running again. Most of the towns
and urban centers they've restored power. That I mean, the
challenges that I on the ground is quite simply. Farmers
are dealing with windbreaks that have come down, trees have
(04:30):
come down and damaged fences, especially boundary fences. They've got
a lot on their plate and they've got a lot
to deal with. But those trees have also taken down
their own power that are coming off the main powers
and the main power lines, and so it does take
time for the teams to be able to fix both
those elements of it. And I saw two or three jobs, yes,
so they where they're working flat out to do that.
(04:51):
The one thing that power Net's trying to do is
sort of come up with a plan around where the
power will come on so that we have a better
idea of how to reposition andition those generators to make
sure that we are getting generators onto the farms. We
are consto the fact that that yes, you're right, it's
not just about milking the cows, it's about chillers. It's
about water in particular, and trying to get the power
(05:15):
there is to provide that support. I think looking out
having met with the Rural Trust, with fed farmers and
with Fonterra was and in the cargo, you know, it's
pretty clear that that there's going to have to be
some ford planning around on farm generators and secretary power
(05:35):
source in the event of this type of thing happening again.
And in a large part why the farmers probably haven't
turned their mind to that is because we haven't. The
area has not really ever been hit with an event
like this before.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Just to finish on, you're in Canterbury today and it's
not only Southland Southwest Otago that was hammered. We know,
particularly Inland and Culvid in the Amuri Valley I think
is the geographic region they've been decimated as well.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, they have. I mean it's our really remote rural
communities that have been impacted the hardest, and that's why
everyone's tried to be very realistic and honest about the
timings in terms of the restoration of power and making
sure that we can get as much support out to
those more isolated rural communities so that they don't feel
like they're out there sitting on their own, that they
(06:24):
do feel like there's some support there for them, and
that everyone's weakned as hard as they can to make
sure that support actually gets them.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Okay, Mark Mitchell, thank you very much for your time.
Today and your capacity as Minister for Emergency Management. Keep
up the good work with police as well, like what
you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Thank you mate. I think I'll have to tune into
the show later because I want to hear you have
that discussion with Damian O'Connor around capital gains tax.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
I promise you I won't disappoint you.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
See you later. I'm sure you won't see you, ye,
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