A few weeks ago our Kuia and Ongare Trustees Kura Benton and Pua Taikato were part of a whānau delegation that travelled down to Heretaunga. The kaupapa was whakawhanaungatanga or connecting with our relations Ngati Kahungunu and hosting the Ahu Whenua judges on site at the Ngai Tukairangi Tukituki orchard in Heretaunga.
The devastation was unbelievable including seeing a brand new home that had been lifted in it’s entirety off it’s foundation and washed about 900m down the road.
The Orchard itself had endured being flooded to the extent that the water submerged the vines and reached the hail netting at it’s highest point.
The resilience of the kaimahi or workers at Tukituki orchard is such that they remain resolute that the orchard can be revived because of the soil and the fact that most of the structures are still in place. Out of approximately 21 hectares, about 14 is salvageable.
