Latest news with #CraigLittle
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Dog's bite pulls Wairoa great-grandmother off mobility scooter
Carol Stewart was left with horrific injuries after a dog pulled her off her scooter in Murraee Street, Wairoa. Inset: The dog that attacked her has been euthanised. Photo: Supplied A great-grandmother screamed for help and prayed that dogs in attack mode wouldn't go for her face as one sank its teeth into her arm and dragged her off her mobility scooter. Carol Stewart, 63, was flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital with serious bite wounds to her legs and arms after the attack on a Wairoa street just before 2pm on Tuesday. The bites on her arm will require skin grafts. From her hospital bed, she told Local Democracy Reporting she had been complaining for "weeks" about roaming dogs in the area. Wairoa District Council said its staff had impounded two dogs following the attack on Murraee Street. They have since been euthanised. Wairoa mayor Craig Little said the council had "zero tolerance" for dogs that attack. "All dog owners need to be responsible for looking after their dogs to prevent random attacks like this, which can be life-changing for the victims, their families and those involved," Little said. "We need our streets to be safe for everyone. We also need to remember that while it is dogs that attack, it is the owner's responsibility to ensure their dogs are secured and kept under control at all times. "You know if you have a vicious dog. Why do you keep it?" Carol said when she saw two dogs coming at her, she "knew there was no getting out of it". She managed to shoo the first one away. "But the second one was in full flight straight at me. I used my leg to kick it one away, but then it latched onto my arm and was throwing its head from side to side. "I'm by no means a small person, but it dragged me to the ground. "All I could think of as I screamed for help, was please don't go for my face. It was horrific. "The pain was out of this world. I'd rather give birth." A neighbour heard her calls for help and came running. "I could see he was thinking, 'how am I going to get this dog off her?' "He grabbed its tail and pulled. When it let go, it turned to attack him and then suddenly just ran off." Carol called her daughter, Rebecca, immediately after the attack in a delirious state. "I couldn't understand what had happened, but my partner drove me to her," Rebecca said. "Then he took our car to scare the dog off as it was hanging around down the street. "He ended up sliding into a ditch and crashing the car. The police arrived, towed the car out and then came down to where we were." The car was written off. Rebecca said an ambulance had been called, but the police helped Carol into their ute and drove her to Wairoa Hospital. She was later flown to Hawke's Bay Hospital. Carol said one of the dogs, the one she had shooed away, had been on her property "numerous times" and she had made complaints about it to Wairoa District Council. Carol said she was fortunate her five-year-old great-grandson wasn't with her. "I pick up my great-grandson from school. But for some reason on Tuesday, I got to the school and realised I was more than an hour early. So I was on my way home when the dog attacked me." She says there's "no way in hell" she's going out on the streets again on her scooter. She said roaming dogs in Wairoa were out of control. "It's beyond words that people even have menacing dogs. If it had been a kid that was attacked, they would be dead." She said the dog's owner had since come to see her in hospital. "I wasn't going to see him, but then I thought it would be a good idea for him to see what his dog had done. But typical of me, I ended up feeling sorry for him." Carol said she was unsure what the skin grafts will involve or how long she will be in hospital. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
A year on from Wairoa floods, residents still struggling to rebuild their lives
It is a cold winter day in Wairoa, the sun is peeking through the clouds and although the mud and debris has long since been cleaned up, many homes remain empty. Their inhabitants are camping in temporary accommodation in driveways, paddocks and back yards. Eighty-three homes are still yellow stickered, many of those homeowners simply could not afford insurance, and so now do not have the money to repair their flooded houses. But for pensioner Kevin Buchanan, he was not insured when the Wairoa flood hit because he was in the final stages of finishing his house and was yet to get council consent. "It's been absolutely awful. We were just living here, minding our own business, not annoying anybody and all of a sudden our life was turned upside down and it put a huge financial strain on us." He is living in a portacom in the paddock with his family. It costs $225 a week and so what little is left over from his pension has been carefully scrimped and saved to repair the house bit by bit. Kevin Buchanan has been living with his family in a portacom since the flood. Photo: Nick Monro The walls have been re-insulated and re-lined, but he ground to a halt because the bathroom and kitchen were going to cost about $14,000 to fix. "We're trying to get on with our lives and yeah struggling because we couldn't see a way clear to get this done," he said. Kevin becomes emotional as he describes how the mayor Craig Little saw Kevin's situation and gifted him $10,000 from the mayoral relief fund . "So we've ordered the new kitchen and stuff for the bathroom, and hopefully in two to three months we'll be back in here again," he says with a relieved smile. But he is also angry at Hawkes Bay Regional Council (HBRC) - he says his property and those around it never flooded before and would have been fine last year if the council acted sooner and dug a channel through the river bar . The flooding at Kevin Buchanan's home one year ago. Photo: Supplied / Kevin Buchanan He said he was frustrated at the lack of support from HBRC. "They could have come to our assistance after flooding us and ruining our lives because we've lost over a year of our lives. We were really happy over there," said Kevin. HBRC told RNZ an independent review made multiple recommendations, all of which have been or are being acted on. It also said assistance has been offered. "The Council has given financial support. First it was $100,000 to the Wairoa Mayoral Fund to support flood relief, then $40,000 for rates support and $60,000 for under-floor insulation reinstatement for impacted houses," the council said in a statement. Heavy machinery caught in floodwater at the Wairoa River last year. Photo: Supplied / Siobhan Pryde Wairoa's flood recovery is far from over, mayor Craig Little says. "We're still struggling. There's nothing to celebrate, that's for sure. "I've been to quite a few people recently and... even the ones that were fully insured are still out of pocket 20k... you know it's not their fault and it's so unfair on them," he said. The mayoral relief fund still has money in it, and he is urging people who need help to ask for it. "I just want people to know that I'm not going to give up, I'm going to keep fighting." He has written to HBRC asking for more support for Wairoa, as he worries they are complacent about the flood recovery. "We've got to be careful - we can't just relax and think 'oh she's all good we don't worry anymore'. "The Wairoa people haven't forgotten what went on." Mayor Craig Little says there's no time for relaxing. Photo: Nick Monro HBRC chairperson Hinewai Ormsby said she responded to Little at the time and welcomed the opportunity for regional councillors to visit Wairoa. "HBRC feels for whanau still living with the aftermath of the flooding and we are committed to doing everything in our power to reduce the risk of future flooding. "We would welcome another opportunity to visit Wairoa and hear from residents and are waiting to hear from the mayor." For 84-year-old flood victim Irelle Lowe, it had been a challenging 12 months that began with her being rescued by the local vet and her horse Amber. Irelle Lowe being rescued on the back of the local vet's horse. Photo: supplied "She said 'we can't leave you here, we'll put you on the horse'. "We walked out carefully because the horses couldn't see where they were going. The water was up to our chest," she said. Once the floodwaters receded and Irelle went home, there was a yellow sticker on the door signalling extensive flood damage. She has been living in a caravan on her driveway until last month as she did not want to leave because her property kept being targeted by thieves. Since the flood she says it has been robbed seven times. Irelle Lowe, 84, had to be rescued from her home during the flood. Photo: Nick Monro "All the robbers kept coming here and I'd get the police here, twice in one night. One of them had a big dog," she said. Irelle's house was insured, and the repairs have just finished so it is now liveable again. "I wouldn't want to go through it again - it's too hard dealing with all the people," she said. Although, there are some good things to come out of the flood too. "A little kitten arrived in the garage after the flood, I kept it and called it 'flood'." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
‘A Safer Approach': New Flood Plan For Wairoa River Bar
An ecological survey of the Wairoa River has helped Hawke's Bay Regional Council devise a new plan for managing the bar. The Intermediate Management Plan, led by HBRC in collaboration with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, outlines a proactive approach to manage flood risks and will improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events. The plan includes, when conditions allow, lowering a section of the beach crest between Rangi-houa (Pilot Hill) and the old pier. HBRC said this will be maintained and monitored, and allow water to safely exit during a flood, reducing the need for emergency bar openings and helping to manage risk more effectively. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says anything that can be done to mitigate the risk of floods is imperative. 'As we near the first anniversary of the June 2024 flooding, I am mindful that we still have many people who have not recovered from the floods, and we will support anything we can to help protect our community,' Little said. The new plan follows a Government review into the June floods over the decision by HBRC not to begin opening the Wairoa River bar earlier, given the information available to it. The review hit out at the council's culture, its communication with Wairoa officials and locals, its tendency to be overly optimistic, and the lack of warning given to those in the firing line of the potential for flooding in June. However, it did not go as far as stating an earlier opening of the bar would have avoided the floods that swamped the lower part of the township. About 127 homes were flooded and hundreds more properties were affected by water tearing through the northern Hawke's Bay town. HBRC says the top priority remains to keep a healthy open mouth in the river at its optimal location, and where there are opportunities, to relocate it from a poor to an ideal location. HBRC Chair Hinewai Ormsby says the plan is a more resilient way of managing the Wairoa River mouth. 'We're grateful for the partnership with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa in delivering this important piece of work.' The plan is a 'living document' that will be reviewed and updated as needed, she said. Crown Manager Lawrence Yule said it was important to have a holistic floodplain management approach for Wairoa, including both short-term and long-term strategies for the river bar. 'This plan marks an important step toward a safer and more consistent approach to managing the Wairoa River mouth. It's also just one piece of the puzzle, and further work to develop a permanent, long-term solution to the bar is ongoing,' Yule said. The Regional Council says the community can expect to see gravel surveying starting soon and diggers working on the bar in the coming weeks.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
New Plan For Wairoa River Mouth Will Improve Resilience For The Wairoa Community
A new plan for managing the Wairoa River Bar is set to improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events. The Intermediate Management Plan for the Wairoa Bar, led by Hawke's Bay Regional Council in collaboration with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, outlines a proactive approach to managing flood risks. The top priority remains to keep a healthy open mouth in its optimal location, and where there are opportunities to relocate the mouth from a poor to ideal location – this will be progressed. Also, as conditions allow, it has been agreed to carefully lower a section of the beach crest between Rangi-houa (Pilot Hill) and the old pier. This will be maintained, and monitored, and allow water to safely exit during a flood, reducing the need for emergency bar openings and helping to manage risk more effectively. Hawke's Bay Regional Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby says the plan is a more resilient way of managing the Wairoa River mouth. 'We're grateful for the partnership with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa in delivering this important piece of work.' The plan is a 'living document' that will be reviewed and updated as needed, she says. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little welcomed Regional Council's approach to river mouth management. 'Anything that can be done to mitigate flooding risks is imperative. As we near the first anniversary of the June 2024 flooding, I am mindful that we still have many people who have not recovered from the floods, and we will support anything we can to help protect our community." Crown Manager Lawrence Yule has emphasised the importance of a holistic floodplain management approach for Wairoa, including both short-term and long-term strategies for the river bar. 'This plan marks an important step toward a safer and more consistent approach to managing the Wairoa River mouth. It's also just one piece of the puzzle, and further work to develop a permanent, long-term solution to the bar is ongoing,' Mr Yule says. The Regional Council says leading up to proposed work starting, an ecological survey of the Wairoa Bar was carried out. The community can expect to see gravel surveying starting in the coming days and diggers working on the bar in the coming weeks.
