Triggered.

Easterlies trigger me.

In younger days it meant sports was off. Rugby was off . Whining about nothing to do was on.

Then came Bola. That was a good easterly that felled trees and gave rise to massive erosion on the East Coast.

Then we had Gabrielle almost three years ago now.

I have likely missed any number of easterlies in between that swirled around for three days ( nearly always three days) and caused rivers to rise, minor flooding and more cancelled sports events.

The last few days have welcomed another easterly that whacked Northern New Zealand and has hung around like a bad friend and continued to slam in to eastern districts with considerable negative impact.

I don't know whether the multi option weather sites are a good or bad thing .I follow one in particular where I can interpret satellite images that suit my understanding of the weather gods and draw conclusions as to how bad the impact will be. How much will I lose .How long will the grass grow. Are farmers happy  or have growers taken another big hit.

It's the timing that's important. The time of the year. If we experience an Easterly in winter it's not too inconvenient. Unless it is like Bola.

What makes life difficult is producing a wonderful crop , nurturing through spring , watching it grow and grow and getting excited about harvesting and then , whamo a depression forms up North and creeps down the island , slips inland and wipes the smile off your face.

The last two days have seen the hard work of so many growers smacked again at the most inconvenient time.

Why are we getting these events at this time of the year?  The weather cycles come and go but the last few years have been extremely trying for producers who can't turn trees off and on. Rain in the summer is our enemy. Give me a drought and I'll give you some great stonefruit.

I was triggered last night .The rain started to persist and I had to make a rational judgement using noise.

Gabrielle was 4 times as loud on the roof so I figured this would work out OK especially as the drains and the rivers were all clear (I hope) and the land was not as soaked as 2023.

Today the misty rain is toying with me. The ground is pretty wet but soon I will inspect the losses ,close my eyes and carry on.  

       

1 in 1000

The aftermath of Gabrielle rolls on.

Years ago Tangoio was a little place one passed heading out of Napier on the way to Gizzy. Blink and you miss it.

There was a time when the infesting Chilean Needle Grass was sprouting up on the hillsides and was a major problem to control.

Pakuratahi Valley was hardly noticeable and the flats in the valley had spuds and corn  struggling away in the salty ,silty flats near the sea.

Wonder why crops never looked the best when they were in this trying  ground ?

Nevertheless  the flats produced crops for years and helped sustain someone through another growing season.

These flats always look enticing to some. A subdivision would go well here and make a handsome profit for a developer.

What could go wrong? Life close to the sea and not far to commute to town .

Gabrielle. That's what can go wrong.

Luckily the subdivision had only just started .If there had been a full compliment of new residents it could have been a disaster.

As it was many felt the impact of the flooding and the ongoing pain of dealing with the consequences.

In a recent court case , it is intriguing that the developer of the subdivision has suggested that the subdivision consent should never have been approved. A bit strange  .

I would not like to comment on the case as I have not followed it but the Judge mentioned that Gabrielle was a 1 in 1000 year event.

That was the first definitive statement I have heard relating to the return value of the cyclone.

That is massive.

Time to contemplate the ramifications of that statement.  

  

   

      

 

 2025 Heroes and Villains 

Once upon a time the New Year Honours  were special and restricted to genuine recipients that had excelled in a host of Community endeavors.

These days political influence has diminished the meaning and importance of a gong or splash of letters although there are some deserved , dedicated souls to be found amongst  the expanded list. 

I couldn't help but shuffle through the long list that resides in my mind. The list of people that emerged at a time of need and helped so many families , so many residents who were on their back feet after Gabrielle.

These silent heroes went about the task of helping and supporting without hesitation. Where does one start to  recognise the amazing effort that went in over such a long period of time.

I could hand out medals to all of them.

These were not people that  had piles of  money , piles of influence , big companies or a 'name'.

 These were people who sprang in  to action at a time of need. No hesitation.  They lent a shoulder , a dollar, muscle , time and equipment.

They are all heroes to me and I give them all an award for the massive effort they put in to make so many lives better at such a difficult time.

The villains were the big entities .Some of the Councils and staff. Many corporates lacked empathy and had a couldn't care less attitude .

2025 and much further down the track.

Happy New Year to my heroes and gongs to you all.

   

Christmas 2025

Here we are.

Another xmas .Another year almost defunct. Another year full of twists and turns and politics and people.

The last two months have been a blur with a lurch out of a cold winter in to a busy busy spring and early summer.

The crops are looking good and hopefully the strong seasonal winds that bashed the trees about for weeks , have diminished forever. The dry has meant blackspot is hiding , waiting for a wet year so apples are clean and expanding at a rate.

It was pleasing to find the homeless guy I had for a while has found safe haven in another town and appears to be getting back on his feet. It's bloody difficult for some of these people especially at a late stage of life where  questionable law turns life upside down and fractures lives forever.   

Here I have to extend my best Christmas wishes to my adoptive church who has been a tower of strength the last two years. For the ongoing contact and help I am  beyond  grateful. The whole team are standouts in this world and you will be with me forever.

I also take time to embrace and thank all those friends who have put up with my persistent nonsense and frivolity which has become worse since the recovery from Gabrielle.

My first girlfriend gave me a wall hanging of Snoopy by his kennel saying "I am outrageously happy in my stupidity' 

She had me summed up at an early age.

However we must endure. We must confront those dastardly days that trip us up and get back on our feet.

What a year. There are still bits and pieces to repair but eating the elephant is down to the last back leg. Or something like that.

I will baste the roast and make a toast soon to all those who have moved and molded my year.

Merry Xmas to all good people out there.

       

 Bob has Gone

Too soon 

Too quick.

I sat with Bob in the dusty old shed . Plastic chairs. 

Dirt floor. Bottles on the dwangs,

Bolts and tractor parts. Cobwebs wafting from the roof struts.

 Cat mooching around.

Nothing like a cup of tea cupped in the hand.

Chewed the fat. Reminisced.

Invercargill, shearing , cold days, farming, Employment Service days .

Bob always stopping. Taking stock.

Family history.

CMT. Both disciplined in those times and reflecting on todays youth.

Where have things gone wrong?

The vines were gone now. Succumbed to the botrytis and rust , lack of demand , lack of pickers, birds .

No boysenberries in ice cream containers, no trailer full of  red delight and red stains.

All gone now. 

Bob gone now.

I have the memories but its a tragedy . 

Survived the wrath of Gabrielle but not a medical mistake .

 A PM's Snigger

There are times when aggravation rises like a high in blood pressure.

Listening to an aggravating program on country/rural issues a guest was the Prime Minister.

With a relatively large audience that is preached to at times by an over confident host , it should be an opportunity to grill the head of New Zealand   with some searching questions about many rural issues that are a handbrake on progress in the sector. The Government is always a handbrake of course.

But no. This PM is let off with fun time. The idea is to play around and crack funnies while the country struggles to cope with a multitude of problems.

What irked me was a snigger. The host mentioned Regional Councils and all we heard from the PM was a snigger. An absolute insult .

It  explained  in one muttering that the PM was vacant when it came to knowledge about Regional Councils.

He would have had his head filled with  advice from 54 experts and suits that consult with their computers and fellow suits to spew out the spin that a PM parrots to media who have no credibility and are short of  knowledge on the matter concerned.

It actually made me mad.

It is typical of Government these days. It is not the people that count it is the invisible bureaucrats and autonomous office  dwellers that seek to guide us to nirvana .Trouble is they have no idea how to get there.

I have no respect for a snigger.      

   

Regional Councils

Democratic and Effective Local Government.

Well that was the idea.

The Local Government Act and the Resource Management Act have tried to lay the groundwork for effective local government but ever since the major changes in 1991 there have been those who wish to alter or tinker with Acts that were largely effective given their huge task.

Part II of the Resource management Act had the  bold aim of managing natural and physical resources in a sustainable way. 

What is sustainable? That's a problem for a start.

Regional Councils were given the task of gamekeeper and also picked up the highly necessary catchment functions that   were previously the responsibility of Catchment Boards.

This is all lost on ratepayers now. Time has eroded the understanding of why Regional Councils were created and why they are critical in Local Government.

Sections of the RMA such as Section 6, 7 and 8 have given the opportunity for massive expansion and interpretation of all manner of issues and one thing about public servants and consultants is that they have an insatiable desire to expand. They dine on expansion.  They consume ratepayers funds at an alarming rate .It's easy to spend other peoples money.

Over the years various governments have amended the RMA and it has become a challenging piece of legislation .Politicians are pushed and pulled by the wrong influencers and we end up with a mess.

Recent announcements about getting rid of Regional Councillors and forming Boards as a kneejerk reaction to some councils being disproportionately influenced by indoctrinated staff is a very concerning and wrong move.

First you have to understand the problem.

Politicians think they understand Local Government .They don't.

They then attempt to correct perceived problems only to create more.

Going back to the last big reorganisation of Local Government ratepayers forget that County Councils were effective in Local Government.

There were some massive County Councils like Tuapeka. They were crushed under the changes.

What we can see now how the power base of rural people shifted to the urban base .The imposition of more and more regulations and controls and legislative creep has emanated from Central Government interference .A great example being the con of climate change.

This power needed to be curbed. This will not occur with the  petulant bashing of Regional Councils by politicians with brief attendance in Wellington and poor advice from whoever.

Heads are nodding but they are not thinking. 

A better start at correcting the situation would be to go back to the drawing board with catchments as a starting point.

Cut the urban activists and the environmentally vacant out of the equation.