Mayor's message

It continues to be an incredibly difficult time for our people whose lives and livelihoods have dramatically changed following Cyclone Gabrielle.

We are committed to ensuring the best outcome possible for our communities, with the safety of those within those communities at the forefront.

The Government’s announcement last month to provide an interim payment to support homeowners displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle for temporary accommodation is a help.

Our council also confirmed that for people with dwellings and land affected by this disaster their rates would be remitted for up to two years, and we are continuing to roll out the one-off support payments of $2,000 through the Hastings Mayoral Relief Fund to owners of red and yellow stickered properties.

It was wonderful to host Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe in our district last month. His community has generously raised nearly $90,000 that’s been distributed through the Mayoral Relief Fund.

Another recent highlight was our Hastings’ 150^th birthday celebrations. I so enjoyed our community coming together to plant trees, bury time capsules, dance in the Assembly Ballroom – all made even more special by the attendance of members of Hastings founder Francis Hicks’ family.

Coming up we are very pleased to have the expected reopening of Redclyffe Bridge this month.

Throughout the process of reinstating this crossing we have been working with the local Waiohiki community to discuss the staged approach, to understand the concerns they may have about re-opening, and to address those concerns as far as practicable. 

This is another step in the recovery journey, and will help reduce travel times for everyone travelling across the river, with some communities more affected than others.

While winter is still upon us, Spring is around the corner and over the next few months there are lots of events coming up – I hope you and your family get the opportunity to attend some of them.

31 July 2023

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