Craig Little: Wairoa mayor 'vindicated by report into East Coast flooding

The Government's recent report into the East Coast floods concludes action is urgently needed.

The review in part points the finger at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the Wairoa District Councils for poor management of the river mouth and bar.

Wairoa mayor Craig Little is relieved with this report - and claims the bar should be cleared more often.

"No one's rung me from the regional council or anything - except to say that they're going to have a recce in Wairoa on the Friday."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather du for see Ellen eighteen past five. Now, Mike
bush lead review into the response to the wider Ware
flood has found that Hawks Bay Regional Council really needs
to Bucket's ideas up. Remember how the locals and Widewall
were saying that the flooding was the council's fault because
the council hadn't cleared the sandbar. Well, this review says
it's actually surprised the bar wasn't cleared regularly. Craig Little
is the mirror of white Oi and with us.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Now, hey, Craig, hi, how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:23):
I'm very well, thank you? Do you feel vindicated?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh? Look, I'm fessed a little bit relieved. A Command's
been a big journey for us, and we doubt our
sales every day, but we knew that we were right.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
It hasn't completely blamed the council though for this flooding event,
has it.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, there's three things that we're not happy about and
that's the highest well, the high spring tie and the
high waves. We can completely categorically say that it's not
true that it is just a yearly, annual event, and
we have the facts and figures to prove that so
that's the only thing that goes against it, but everything
else if those three weren't there, it's a combination of
four things. Well, actually it's only a combination one thing,

(00:59):
and that's the room out the bar.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Yeah, now it's pretty it is pretty scathing of the
fact that these guys at the Hawks Bay Regional Council
should be clearing out that bar more regularly and should
be listening to what you people are saying. So do
you think anything's actually going to change?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Look, I've heard. Look, the biggest thing is the id
apology I've been asking for for quite some time. Is
that going to happen now? And I guess that's number one.
They all have going to say there sorry, you know,
and actually have a bit of empathy for all the
poor people that are still suffering. And so that'll be
a big one for me. But some big improvements have

(01:33):
to happen. Yep.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Do you have confidence?

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Not at the stage. No one's rungnging me from the
Regial Council or anything really except to say that they're
going to have a release and wire on the Friday
because they've got their own three reports as well, don't forget. Yeah,
and totally different to the Mike Busch Mike Bush did.
I think did a wonderful job. And like say, there's
only three things that the three things that he referred
to Tonkin and Taylor that happens to be a Regial

(01:57):
Council report, and the things we don't agree on. But
he had a very short timeframes, so he did do well.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Craig, thank you. I really appreciate your time and how
generous you being at the Bobent. That's Craig Little mirror
of Whidaway.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
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Speaker 1 (02:14):
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