Sue Wilson: Wairoa Business Association Chair on the impact of the storms on the East Coast

Heavy rain warnings have lifted for Hawke's Bay as the clean up on the North Island's east coast begins.  

Roads were closed and people evacuated after heavy rain lashed the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne regions yesterday.  

Wairoa District Council says 400 properties have been impacted, more than 100 significantly.  

Wairoa Business Association Chair Sue Wilson told Mike Hosking that most main street businesses weren't impacted this time, but many others are.  

She says agriculture businesses are affected, with two major Angus Bull sales that were meant to be held this week. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right weather. Let's check in on the East Coast wire specifically,
we've got the state of emergency, the evacuations, the multi
multiple orange warnings. The chair of the Wire Business Association,
Sue Wilson with us. So very good morning to you them,
aren't we do we greet you on a wet, miserable morning.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Yes, it's a store raining quite heavily where we are at.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
The moment, and so what happened overnight, Look, it.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Was pretty calm, the river was store flowing. High tide
was at around nine o'clock and we've got another high
tide later on this morning. So hopefully the weather will
come down a little bit and we'll see this rain.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Any assessment of the damage so far calls to businesses
and homes and so forth.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Look, the majority of our main street businesses we're not
affected this time. However, there are a number of other
businesses that have been hugely impacted and it's going to
be some time before they're up and running again, and
we're really you are feeling for them. We've got, you know,
some agricultural businesses that are affected. Had two major Angus

(01:09):
bull sales that were meant to be held this week
there's going to be a huge impact for them. Yeah.
So it's ongoing and I Counsel doing a great job
and they'll be talking to businesses as they've got.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
That's the vibe I got right up the East coast
there that the response this time was we learned from
last year, we did it better this time. Is that fair?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Absolutely? Yep. There's been a lot soon and people were
prepared to talking to a couple of business association members,
they were prepared their staff, we're prepared. Even though there
was powered as yesterday, some of them got by. So
that's really good to hear.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Good to hear. So go well this weekend. We're thinking obviously. Wilson,
Chair of the Way I row A Business Association. Twelve
minutes past seven. For more from the mi Casking Breakfast,
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