Without a paddle
New Zealand Listener|November 11 - 17, 2023
Homeowners in flood-prone areas face huge risk as insurers abandon them. And with sea level rise gaining on us, there's little sign of a plan for 'managed retreat'.
EMMA RICKETTS
Without a paddle

When the water levels started rising around Claire O'Connor Bryant's house near Eskdale during Cyclone Gabrielle, she knew W she had to act quickly. She rounded up her son and flatmates and together they sought refuge in the rafters of the barn, the highest point of the property.

She describes several large trees - up to 15m long-being carried past her outbuildings below. "Everything on my property - the cars, the caravans and everything else - was all caught up in the trees, making a whirlpool. We were sitting in my turn-of-the-century barn. The glass windows are very old and there was one tree with a huge trunk that was bashing on them. We were just sitting there waiting for another surge to take the building down."

The experience sounds like something from a nightmare - but for O'Connor Bryant, the nightmare isn't over.

Eskdale is a low-lying coastal community just north of Napier. The Esk River, which burst its banks during the cyclone, runs through it. Under land categorisations devised by the Crown, O'Connor Bryant's property was placed in category 3 by Hastings District Council, meaning it is in an area deemed too dangerous to live in due to flood risk. Although it makes her eligible for the council's voluntary buy-out scheme, there's little to be relieved about: rent for her temporary home and mortgage payments for the damaged property add up to more than she earns in a week as a property manager.

Nor is O'Connor Bryant confident she will be able to buy a new house: hers is one of 287 properties designated category 3 in post-cyclone Hawke's Bay. "There just aren't that many houses out there to buy," she says. "There's a huge amount of pressure on the market after the cyclone and prices are going up."

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin November 11 - 17, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin November 11 - 17, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 dak  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024