Katie Nimon, Simeon Brown, Mark Mitchell, Christopher Luxon, and Catherine Wedd recently held a press conference in Napier after meeting with local leaders and mayors. The new Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, visited the town of Wairoa, which is still recovering from a devastating cyclone. Luxon, along with a few MPs, drove down the damaged State Highway 2 to assess the town’s progress and understand its needs.
During the visit, a backpack owned by Mark Mitchell, the minister for emergency management and recovery, was ceremonially returned. The backpack, which contained a few papers and two pairs of gumboots, had been left behind during Mitchell’s last visit to Wairoa.
Wairoa’s mayor, Craig Little, expressed hope for more government support. He emphasized the need for flood protection, as the town currently has none. Little also highlighted the issue of 130 homes still being uninhabitable, half of which are uninsured. He insisted that rebuilding homes without flood protection would be pointless.
Luxon acknowledged the poor condition of the highway and expressed a desire to speed up Wairoa’s recovery. He emphasized the need for action and decision-making, rather than just financial aid. He also suggested that regional and central government need to remove obstacles to progress.
Both Mayor Little and Deputy Mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare, who was displaced from her home by the cyclone, expressed confidence in Luxon’s understanding of their needs and his determination to help Wairoa recover.
