Conditions obscuring the true toll of Cyclone Gabrielle

Formerly a picturesque part of the country’s “fruit bowl”, Napier’s Esk Valley is now an area of great concern and a further death has been reported in Gisborne. The full picture still remains unclear

Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Thursday, February 16, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.

In today’s edition: familiar echoes for New Zealand as Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon steps down; court case against ticket reseller Viagogo begins; Supreme Halberg Award winner named; but first, with the worst hit areas now identified, the toll taken by Cyclone Gabrielle is only still emerging

An evacuation centre in Hastings as people are reunited. (Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver)

Death toll rises 

Until Cyclone Gabrielle hit, Napier’s Esk Valley was known to most as a picturesque and productive part of New Zealand’s “fruitbowl” where grapevines and apples grow and great wine is produced. The vines were completely submerged as 7 metres of water swept through when Gabrielle hit. That water raged at times, moving quickly, and it’s now an area causing enormous amounts of concern as horrific stories emerge of more potential loss of life. This morning, the death toll linked to Gabrielle now stands at five, as police investigate a death in Gisborne. 

1400 people reported as uncontactable

More than 1400 people have been reported as uncontactable, mostly in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti. Police expect a lot of this to be due to lines of communications being down but have said there are "grave concerns" for several people missing in those areas. A live cross on Breakfast this morning featured people just trying to get on camera to tell their families they were alive. There are currently 12 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers in the Hawke’s Bay unaccounted for. Transport minister Michael Wood said this morning that authorities believed they may have made their own way to various evacuation sites around the area - and that it would be a priority today to find them.

Worst hit areas now clearly identified

While details of the full extent of the cyclone’s impact remain murky, hampered by still dangerous conditions, isolation and a lack of connectivity, it's now very clear that Northland, Coromandel, Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti and areas on the West coast of Auckland have been worst affected. The Coromandel is now into its fifth day without power. Residents of Muriwai and Piha in Auckland are in a state of shock and are calling for help. Two Navy ships have been dispatched to Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay and the prime minister will travel to Gisborne and Tairāwhiti today. Roads in Northland are significantly damaged. Thankfully, the surge of water which threatened Dargaville this morning came at low tide during the night and was contained by the town’s sea wall.

Recent events land on a country already grappling with interlinked crises

Finally, while the roaring (and correct) consensus is that it is far too early for calculating costs, especially with so many people in very real states of precarity and risk, minds are beginning to turn to the knock-on impacts, as a way of preparing us for what we must grapple with. Duncan Greive writes this morning that “Auckland’s floods and Cyclone Gabrielle did not land on a country which was running smoothly. They dropped into one which was suffering through that debilitating modern phenomenon known as the polycrisis: interlinked crises covering inflation, housing, infrastructure, health and more, all operating against and influenced by the climate crisis.” BusinessDesk’s Pattrick Smellie has outlined similar thinking (paywalled) from four economists. All agree it will be highly disruptive.

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 Nicola Sturgeon has nothing left in the tank

Following the resignation of Jacinda Ardern, it’s become acceptable (and after the last three years, probably true) to offer “nothing left in the tank” as a reason for resigning. In a speech that was longer than Ardern’s but contained clanging similarities, first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has tendered her resignation. Sturgeon was blunter than Ardern, saying “the nature and form of modern political discourse means there is a much greater intensity - dare I say it, brutality - to life as a politician than in years gone by.” Media have been quick to draw comparisons. Rumours of Sturgeon stepping down have been circulating for a while. The Guardian’s Martin Kettle writes it could be a watershed moment for Scottish independence, while UK Labour party officials think it might open up an opportunity for Labour in Scotland, potentially paving the way for the election of Labour government at Westminster.

Viagogo trial starts in High Court

“Viagogo admits that over 90% of tickets that are sold in New Zealand are from scalpers; people selling tickets in commercial quantities,” said Andy Luck, acting on behalf of the Commerce Commission in a trial that stared at Auckland’s High Court yesterday. The Commerce Commission is seeking a declaration that Viagogo misled consumers by claiming to be an “official” seller of “guaranteed” tickets to events. Viagogo is a ticket reseller. The Spinoff’s Chris Schulz looked into how it operated in 2021. The court heard yesterday that the commission has received 1300 complaints or communications about Viagogo.

Click and collect

• Chris Hipkins delivers the bleak Dad joke we were all doing in our heads, messenger groups and on social media after last night’s magnitude 6.3 earthquake

• “Co-goverance is nothing like you think” — working examples of co-governance already in action

• Video from space shows Cyclone Gabrielle’s path to New Zealand

• Cost saving may see end of broadcast of parliament on its own radio frequency 

• Pilots would like something more high tech than the $1 coin and gumboot tests for assessing water levels on runways

Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.

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Sporting snippets

• Snow-boarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott named the Supreme Halberg Award winner 

• “Bazball”, the term is used to describe Brendon McCullum’s approach to test cricket, is on Wiktionary’s “hot words” list alongside “quiet quit”, “Barbiecore'' and “Bregets”

• Speaking of, Stuff’s Ian Anderson previews the Black Caps v England test cricket match starting today in Tauranga

• High jumper Hamish Kerr isn't sure his parents know about his record-breaking result in Slovakia as they’re in an area affected by the cyclone