Fonterra supports the recovery of Hawke’s Bay farmers following Cyclone Gabrielle.

The aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle is still taking its toll on Hawke’s Bay farmers, Fonterra Central Districts Regional Head Luke McKee says.

“It was absolutely devastating for farmers in that region,” McKee told The Country Sport Breakfast’s, Brian Kelly.

Many farmers had “significant damage” to their properties, and flooding and silt had destroyed some areas of pasture and washed fences away, he said.

“I remember seeing newly-built houses buried in silt and all you could see were the solar panels that were sticking out the top.”

Power was knocked out, leaving farmers isolated and unable to milk their cows, McKee said.

“Those that could [milk] had to dispose of the milk because our tankers weren’t able to access them.”

Telecommunications were also down, which meant Fonterra was unable to contact isolated farmers to offer assistance.

This didn’t stop the co-op from getting to its farmers though, McKee said.

“Our field teams actively reached out to the affected farmers and some of our people, including myself, flew into the cut-off areas by helicopter – that was the only way to get in there.”

Once they made contact, the Fonterra team was able to provide provisional supplies, assess the damage and understand the immediate needs of farmers, such as animal welfare.

McKee said many Kiwis would now be used to seeing images of the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle but nothing compared to the reality.

“I can tell you from being there on the ground myself that the pictures absolutely don’t do it justice.

“The sheer scale of the damage really brought at home, how severely impacted the region is.”

McKee reckoned the region’s farmers faced a “long, long road to recovery”.

“Our operations team is working incredibly hard, along with other partners in the local councils and Waka Kotahi, to understand what access will likely be available to these impacted communities in time for next season.”

This included working out which roads are likely to be re-established and whether that infrastructure will support Fonterra’s tanker and trucking equipment.

While it was too early to know what the outcome would be, Fonterra was busy keeping its farmers informed, McKee said.

“We are working hard to provide as much guidance as soon as possible to these impacted farmers in terms of roading and milking implications.”

The mental toll of Cyclone Gabrielle was not to be underestimated, but McKee said he was impressed by how farmers had coped so far.

“It hasn’t ceased to amaze me the resilience our farmers have shown in this region.”