Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds (in high-viz vest) talks to people at the Mangere Community Hub. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
Auckland's state of emergency has been extended for another week, as rain continues to soak the already sodden region, and families try to clean up their flooded homes.
In Māngere, one of the harder hit areas of Auckland, hundreds of people were at the community hubs looking for help.
Most people spoken to by RNZ said it was just commonsense that the state of emergency had been extended.
"Many areas around, not only in South Auckland, you know central Auckland is still flooding," one woman said.
"That'd be about the only bloody decision they could make, you know, look at it," another man said, indicating the still falling rain.
Hundreds of people have come to the Mangere Community Hub. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
Mayor Wayne Brown issued a mea culpa today as he announced the extension.
"I dropped the ball on Friday," he said.
"I was too slow to be seen. The communications weren't fast enough, including mine. I am sorry."
In a pre-recorded video statement, he said the decision to extend the state of emergency followed advice from local and national emergency management experts.
"In a nutshell, that's because of the risk of ongoing slips, blocked roads and remaining flooding.
"We're also mindful that it's still raining, pretty hard in some parts of our region. We are now so waterlogged that even a modest amount of rain could do a lot of damage."
The emergency powers had barely been used so far, Brown said, but having the declaration in place allowed relevant authorities to issue legally binding instructions.
Māngere has a high Pasifika population, and they were many of the people affected by last Friday's floods.
Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds, who grew up in the area, said the community had been hit hard in the past five years by measles, Covid, and now the flooding.
She was speaking to locals at the Pacific Response Hub about what help they needed.
"It's definitely clean-up, some families here have said food," she said.
"Because it's the start of the school year, stationary costs, uniform costs. Those are pressures that they would have normally every year but obviously with floods having to divert some of your family money to other areas, those are the types of needs that they have."
Hundreds of people have come to the Mangere Community Hub, where Minister for Pacific Peoples Barbara Edmonds, centre, spoke today. Photo: RNZ / Soumya Bhamidipati
Ministry for Pacific Peoples chief executive Gerardine Clifford-Lidstone said some people were just sitting on their doorsteps, because they did not know what to do.
While the hub would not reach everyone who needed help, those who did come could help connect others to the right agencies.
"It's so fantastic to see these providers that did such a fantastic job for us over Covid pull together again to provide the base for our community to come to," she said.
"Once you do that, that's when you get into those communities that are most disconnected to the system - they will be connected with their families."
