July 12, 2025 • 6 mins
Nelson–Tasman is facing millions of dollars of damage following Friday's severe weather.
Last week Federated Farmers was calling for help for the farming community over the level of damage from previous flooding in the area.
So what impact has this latest round of rain had on an already battling farming community?
Kerry Irvine is Federated Farmers Nelson Tasman Provincial President. He joins Francesca Rudkin from Tapawera.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News talks 'b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Nelson, Tasman is facing millions of dollars of damage following
Friday severe weather. Last week. Federated Farmers were calling for
help from the farming community over the level of damage
from previous flooding in the area. So what impact has
this latest round of rain had on an already battling
farming community. Kerrie Irvine is the Federated Farmers Nelson Tasman
(00:33):
provincial president and he joins me now from Tappawerda. How
are you, Kerrie?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You're right, Yeah, I'm good, Yeah, safe to say, pretty bruised, embedded. Yeah,
it's been been a pretty tough couple of days.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I think yesterday afternoon when we touch base with you,
you were trapped on one part of your farm. A.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, so we're still trapped up here really. Yeah. So
we lost pr we lost internet, so we regained them
about for a clock yesterday, but yeah, they're still Yeah,
we're still blocked up here. Belly from forestry slash that's
come down across the road and I think about seven
(01:16):
different spots just on air road and I know other
people in the district that are still trapped with the
bridges be washed out or slips and stuff that have
come across the road. It's yeah, there's a lot happening.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
How else have you been personally impacted? I know that
you've been able to send a drone up and take
a look at the property.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah, so we can. We've got to properties. So we're
our home. Fun here is you know, we've had quite
a bit of damage sort of in in the river
and a lot of washouts and cranks blowing out and whatnot.
Farm and taftware has just been devastated. Again. We spent
(01:59):
the last two weeks putting putting the fences pack up
to to to only hear that they're all so and
sitting on the ground again. So yeah, that's pretty demoralizing actually,
to be honest.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, gutting. I mean, look, we knew that things were
already bad after the last lot of weathers, So you
know how much worse has Friday's rain made the situation
across the region.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It's yeah, it's it's been a real you know, like
that first weather event, there's you know, people had a
pretty hard exterea and probably crying on the insight after
after this net a couple of days ago, like we're
crying on the outside now. So many people I've talked
to and I think near tim King last night, you know,
(02:48):
like where do we start? There's so many properties that
are just so devastated. Like with the first question is
where do we start?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So what impact is this going to have on farmers
in the area?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh yeah, look, some of our properties never look the
same again. I've been a lot of people have sent
me pictures of what their farm looks like now, and
they're just the rivers, the creeks and streams have just
ripped raw, and there's so much land loss. There's We've
(03:27):
got good friends and just out of temporary here. They've
lost the Whole Boys and Very Garden. It's just gone.
It's just there's nothing. There's not even a post in
the ground. It's just incredible. I was looking at the
looking at the message I got last night, I thought, what,
how hell hell has that done that? That? Yeah, they've
(03:49):
just lost the Whole Boys and Very Garden. And if
there's just one story of so many, so Kurrie.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
What is going to be needed to overcome this? What
support the farmers need.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Look, yeah, really we need so much central government help
like this, this weather event is too big for our
Nowson City Council and our Teasman District Council. We really
need central help on this one. Like the devastation on
the roads just alone is huge impact on farmers just
(04:27):
you know, I don't even know where to start.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Is there support available, kri, I mean where does the
support need? You know, is the support available now?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah? There is so rural regarding this farming sect. There's
a rural sport of fantastic they really have so but
the biggest problem we have right now is actually getting
our people right. There's still one hundred and our three
hundred and fifty seven houses that still have no power.
(05:02):
So the problem we have now is actually getting people
connected again, you know, and trying to help these people
that need help. There's there's the biggest problem. Yeah, So Carrie, how.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Long do you think it's going to be before your
roads are cleared and you're no longer blocked off?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Well, we've organized. One of the neighbors actually got a
twenty ton dagger, so we're walking. He's in the process
of walking that down the road and for some reason,
he's got a fifty ton loader as well. So you know,
in the rule sector, you know, sometimes we've just got
(05:40):
to roll up our sleeves and make ourselves connected. So yeah,
I think that process is probably starting now. But you
know some of these other ones where the bridges washed
out and the rivers are still small and light. I
know there's one place in Stanley Brook there's twenty old
(06:00):
people that are just the strand that they've got no
no way out.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Carrie, really appreciate your time this morning. I know it's
been a pretty fullng couple of days and you're probably exhausted,
but really appreciate you talking to us. Thank you so much.
That was Karrie Irvine, Federated Farmers, Nelson, Tasman Provincial President
talking to us there from Tapawero. Federated Farmers is urging
people to donate to the Farmers Adverse Events Trust to
(06:26):
support flood hit farmers in the region. So if you
would like to donate, you just go to Farmers Adverse
Events dot co dot nz Ford slash donate. So that's
Farmers Adverse Events dot co dot nz Ford slash donate.
God it's tough, isn't it. I I really he really
got me when he said, look, you know, last few
(06:47):
weeks crying on the inside, but just getting on with it.
But now it's just crying on the outside. You get
that right.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk z' B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News talks 'b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Nelson, Tasman is facing millions of dollars of damage following
Friday severe weather. Last week. Federated Farmers were calling for
help from the farming community over the level of damage
from previous flooding in the area. So what impact has
this latest round of rain had on an already battling
farming community. Kerrie Irvine is the Federated Farmers Nelson Tasman
(00:33):
provincial president and he joins me now from Tappawerda. How
are you, Kerrie?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
You're right, Yeah, I'm good, Yeah, safe to say, pretty bruised, embedded. Yeah,
it's been been a pretty tough couple of days.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I think yesterday afternoon when we touch base with you,
you were trapped on one part of your farm. A.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Yeah, so we're still trapped up here really. Yeah. So
we lost pr we lost internet, so we regained them
about for a clock yesterday, but yeah, they're still Yeah,
we're still blocked up here. Belly from forestry slash that's
come down across the road and I think about seven
(01:16):
different spots just on air road and I know other
people in the district that are still trapped with the
bridges be washed out or slips and stuff that have
come across the road. It's yeah, there's a lot happening.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
How else have you been personally impacted? I know that
you've been able to send a drone up and take
a look at the property.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah, so we can. We've got to properties. So we're
our home. Fun here is you know, we've had quite
a bit of damage sort of in in the river
and a lot of washouts and cranks blowing out and whatnot.
Farm and taftware has just been devastated. Again. We spent
(01:59):
the last two weeks putting putting the fences pack up
to to to only hear that they're all so and
sitting on the ground again. So yeah, that's pretty demoralizing actually,
to be honest.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, gutting. I mean, look, we knew that things were
already bad after the last lot of weathers, So you
know how much worse has Friday's rain made the situation
across the region.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It's yeah, it's it's been a real you know, like
that first weather event, there's you know, people had a
pretty hard exterea and probably crying on the insight after
after this net a couple of days ago, like we're
crying on the outside now. So many people I've talked
to and I think near tim King last night, you know,
(02:48):
like where do we start? There's so many properties that
are just so devastated. Like with the first question is
where do we start?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So what impact is this going to have on farmers
in the area?
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Oh yeah, look, some of our properties never look the
same again. I've been a lot of people have sent
me pictures of what their farm looks like now, and
they're just the rivers, the creeks and streams have just
ripped raw, and there's so much land loss. There's We've
(03:27):
got good friends and just out of temporary here. They've
lost the Whole Boys and Very Garden. It's just gone.
It's just there's nothing. There's not even a post in
the ground. It's just incredible. I was looking at the
looking at the message I got last night, I thought, what,
how hell hell has that done that? That? Yeah, they've
(03:49):
just lost the Whole Boys and Very Garden. And if
there's just one story of so many, so Kurrie.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
What is going to be needed to overcome this? What
support the farmers need.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Look, yeah, really we need so much central government help
like this, this weather event is too big for our
Nowson City Council and our Teasman District Council. We really
need central help on this one. Like the devastation on
the roads just alone is huge impact on farmers just
(04:27):
you know, I don't even know where to start.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Is there support available, kri, I mean where does the
support need? You know, is the support available now?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah? There is so rural regarding this farming sect. There's
a rural sport of fantastic they really have so but
the biggest problem we have right now is actually getting
our people right. There's still one hundred and our three
hundred and fifty seven houses that still have no power.
(05:02):
So the problem we have now is actually getting people
connected again, you know, and trying to help these people
that need help. There's there's the biggest problem. Yeah, So Carrie, how.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Long do you think it's going to be before your
roads are cleared and you're no longer blocked off?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Well, we've organized. One of the neighbors actually got a
twenty ton dagger, so we're walking. He's in the process
of walking that down the road and for some reason,
he's got a fifty ton loader as well. So you know,
in the rule sector, you know, sometimes we've just got
(05:40):
to roll up our sleeves and make ourselves connected. So yeah,
I think that process is probably starting now. But you
know some of these other ones where the bridges washed
out and the rivers are still small and light. I
know there's one place in Stanley Brook there's twenty old
(06:00):
people that are just the strand that they've got no
no way out.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Carrie, really appreciate your time this morning. I know it's
been a pretty fullng couple of days and you're probably exhausted,
but really appreciate you talking to us. Thank you so much.
That was Karrie Irvine, Federated Farmers, Nelson, Tasman Provincial President
talking to us there from Tapawero. Federated Farmers is urging
people to donate to the Farmers Adverse Events Trust to
(06:26):
support flood hit farmers in the region. So if you
would like to donate, you just go to Farmers Adverse
Events dot co dot nz Ford slash donate. So that's
Farmers Adverse Events dot co dot nz Ford slash donate.
God it's tough, isn't it. I I really he really
got me when he said, look, you know, last few
(06:47):
weeks crying on the inside, but just getting on with it.
But now it's just crying on the outside. You get
that right.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talk z' B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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