Northland marae step up for whānau displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle

Wednesday, 15 February 2023

There has been flooding in some parts of Te Tai Tokerau, including on Maungatapere roads.

Marae in Te Tai Tokerau have opened their doors to those displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle offering shelter, showers and a friendly face in the storm.

But those on the ground warn their manaakitanga has once again shone a light on serious problems in the region, including substandard housing and failing infrastructure.

Ngāti Wai Trust Board chief executive Hūhana Lyndon (Ngāti Wai, ngā hapū o Whangārei) said marae throughout Tai Tokerau were caring for a number of whānau, including ones sleeping rough.

Marae included Tuparehuia and Mokau in Whangaruru and Ngunguru Marae near Tutukaka.

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“[Ngunguru] were providing a safe haven again for a dozen-odd whānau, a place for children to come and have a shower, get a bigger space to play cards, board games…”

Haukāinga (marae community) were also working to get kai to kaumātua through meals on wheels, ensuring no one went without, Lyndon said.

Whangārei marae Terenga Paraoa, also known as Kaka Porowini, had opened its doors as an urban hub for anyone needing help.

“So you've got those who are homeless or have been impacted as rough sleepers, as well as those families who have been without power for quite some time,” Lyndon said.

A spokesperson for the response at Kaka Porowini, Auriole Ruka (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Manu), said the marae was used to supporting people in need.

“This marae is a recognition of Kaka Porowini’s legacy to have a place that was safe for whānau that may not have a home or somewhere that they could find shelter.”

Roughly 20 people per night had been sleeping at the marae in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, she said.

Haukāinga had also been working in partnership with local agencies like Open Arms Whangārei.

“They've been sending their teams here to support some of the community that's here… sent their staff to be able to just sit and talk with the people…”

Ministers Kieran McAnulty and Andrew Little provide an update on Cyclone Gabrielle.

Everyone who came to Kaka Porowini was offered a dry towel, hot shower and fresh clothes which had been donated by the marae community, said Ruka.

The not-so-calm after the storm

Both Lyndon and Ruka agreed Cyclone Gabrielle had once again highlighted serious problems facing Te Tai Tokerau.

A pressing issue for Lyndon was the need to designate marae as official evacuation hubs, rather than “community-led” ones.

“I think that's something within the system that needs correcting, because it's the ‘community-led’ that sees the impact, it’s the ‘community-led’ that’s busy. It's not always the official hubs.”

When she visited one official hub at McKay Stadium, Lyndon said only three families were there compared with the marae which was bursting at the seams.

“They've got awesome services, everyone's sitting there, all the officials. And then we've got these hotspots at marae that have a lot of impact, who need better connectivity to all the services that are sitting in an empty stadium.”

On a wider scale, Lyndon said the storm had shone a light on problems with substandard housing and homelessness.

It had also revealed the dire state of some infrastructure, which she said needed to be addressed.

“It brings out questions of what is our infrastructure, stormwater, three waters… There were issues yesterday, today and tomorrow, particularly around housing and safe housing.”

At Kaka Porowini, Ruka had been mulling over similar pātai (questions) and worried about what the future held for whānau doing it tough.

“That's the thing about marae. Our tikanga [custom] is to manaaki [care for] our whānau and communities… the thought now is that we're putting them back out into a worse condition.”

Some people could be going back to homes that had been damaged by floodwaters and lacking in the necessities, said Ruka.

That was why it was so important to raise awareness about what these whānau were facing and mobilise to support them long term, she said.

Iwi and hapū throughout the country have been stepping up in the wake of the storm, with up to 16 marae in places like Te Tairāwhiti listed as hubs for those needing help.

As for marae which had been damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle, there didn’t look to be much manaaki on the horizon from the Government.

Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson said, while damage to marae and urupā was “very sad”, there would not be a specific fund to support repairs in the near future.

'Our immediate concern is whānau and their housing. Urupā is not something we're going to prioritise,' Jackson said.

'The priority is people out of their homes when we have 2000 people out of their homes'.

Jackson said everyone had to step up, prioritising communities and health.