Events & Expos

Canterbury floods: Adverse event declared, funding unlocked for flood-hit farmers

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Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has declared a medium-scale adverse event for Canterbury, unlocking $500,000 of Government support for farmers and growers affected by flooding.

“The funding will help speed up the recovery of farming businesses, and includes wellbeing support and specialist technical advice,” he said.

“The money will be used for recovery grants, to enable the region’s three Rural Support Trusts to provide extra help to farmers, and for other flood assistance where needed.”

Further support would be considered once the full extent of the flooding became clearer, he said.

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“Based on the advice I have received from Ministry for Primary Industries staff based in the area, the scale of impact is beyond the communities’ ability to cope.

“Support is available for farmers who are short of livestock feed, or who have had baleage and fodder crops washed away or damaged by floodwaters.”

A state of local emergency was declared for the whole of Canterbury following heavy rain described as a one-in-100-year event.

Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury senior vice president David Acland, who owns Mt Somers Station, had “kilometres of fencing” falling down in the floods.

“People that moved stock to high ground found that high ground was not high enough.”

The Staveley Rd area was particularly hard hit, he said.

Alastair and Karen Miller, who own a lifestyle block there, escaped to a neighbour’s house by tractor on Sunday night when flood water engulfed their lane.

Fire crews took people to safety, with several neighbours’ houses flooded.

Chris Allen’s farm has been significantly damaged in the heavy rain and flooding event.

STACY SQUIRES/Stuff

Chris Allen’s farm has been significantly damaged in the heavy rain and flooding event.

They returned on Monday morning to a garden under a metre of water and “carnage” in the neighbouring farms, with stock dead in paddocks or washed away.

“Bridges are wrecked, roads are a mess in places. Fences are either covered with debris or flattened, [there is] silt everywhere,” Alastair Miller said

“The force of the water was so fast and quick. People just don’t realise how quick and terrifying it was. It came with force.

“I have lived and worked next to the river all my life [and have] never seen it go that fast.”

Acland said several farms in the district had lost winter feed to the floods, with silage and baleage holding grain inundated. Feed had already been difficult to source due to conditions over summer, compounding the issue, he said.

“It will be problematic trying to work out the supplies, and it won’t be until the next couple of days as an industry that we can work out how significant the losses are and how difficult it will be to move stock around.”

Federated Farmers senior vice president and meat & wool chair David Acland, who owns Mt Somers Station, has had "kilometres of fencing" fall down in the floods. His sons Leo, 10 and Otto, 9, were out with him surveying the damage to the farm on Monday morning.

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Federated Farmers senior vice president and meat & wool chair David Acland, who owns Mt Somers Station, has had “kilometres of fencing” fall down in the floods. His sons Leo, 10 and Otto, 9, were out with him surveying the damage to the farm on Monday morning.

The “massive damage” to roads, bridges and infrastructure near Ashburton was the primary concern, he said.

“As a farm, we have to build this into our thinking, but we are not expecting a handout. We need good, safe rural infrastructure, good roads, strong rural communities and schools.”

Fergus Wakelin has farmed near the south branch of the Ashburton River for eight years, and his rain gauge had never previously topped 120mm.

All that changed over the weekend when the gauge returned a reading of 320mm.

It was not the only figure Wakelin was noting, with the repair bill for damaged fences on his 70-hectare property south of Mt Somers estimated to be $50,000.

Wakelin praised the early weather warnings, which allowed farmers time to shift stock to higher ground.

“The community has done really well.”

Acland’s farm was flooded on Monday.

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Acland’s farm was flooded on Monday.

Peter Reverley, who owns a farm in Mount Somers, said several people were evacuated from their homes at the peak of the weather event, but communication from authorities kept everyone well-informed.

“The rural community is coping pretty well because they are talking to each other. Everyone is fed, warm and safe this morning. That’s a hell of a good start.”

National MP for Selwyn Nicola Grigg said the “paltry” amount of funding announced by O’Connor on Tuesday “won’t even begin to scratch the surface”.

“Our rural communities will need a momentous recovery plan from this Government.

“Roads are continuing to close, water is still unsafe to drink, and there are still disruptions that are causing unsafe travel. There is so much work to do.”

Grigg acknowledged the work Federated Farmers was doing to assess the need, and suggested the Government should “pull all levers avaialble”, including Defence Force personnel and equipment, to help further.

The national Feed Coordination Service could help connect farmers with supplementary feed that had been donated or listed for sale. National feed coordinator Kate Wood could be contacted by email on kate@ruraldirections.co.nz

Farmers needing expert support to do a feed budget could call the Feed Planning Service on 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 233 352) or 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 432 479 69). Farmers needing wellbeing support should call their Rural Support Trust on 0800 RURAL HELP or 0800 787 254.

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