Precipice
Stories of landslides and community restoration in Muriwai New Zealand following the devastating 13 February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle.
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Precipice
Rejuvenate the Land. Community Initiatives after a Traumatic Weather Event. Ep.25 Precipice Podcast.
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In this episode I speak with Zac Bogdan. Zac talks about his role as the coordinator of Scars On The Land, a project instigated by MCA and the MET after the cyclone, to replant the exposed land of the demolished and removed houses with locally raised native trees. He explains how this project works and the goals for the planting
Zac shares his experience and challenges of being ordered to evacuate his house in Domain Crescent that was completely unharmed and not being able to return to his home for 7 ½ months.
He talks about insurance support for temporary accommodation and future cover and how it felt to finally return to his home in Muriwai.
Precipice launched on July 20th 2026. 3 seasons will be released across 4 weeks and then the full series of 26 episodes will be available for you to listen to at your leisure.
Season 1: Cyclone Gabrielle Hits Muriwai
Season 2: Disaster Recovery and Community Restoration
Season 3: Community Initiatives after a Cyclone
Listen on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/@precipicepodcast
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Hosted and produced by Mandy Jakich. Commissioned and funded by Muriwai Community Association, supported by the Auckland Council Recovery Office.
On the 13th of February 2023, the small, vibrant coastal community of Muturawai Beach, northwest of Auckland, New Zealand, was ripped apart by Cyclone Gabrielle. This podcast captures what happened on the night and in the days, months and years that followed. Join me, Mandy Yakic, as I speak to fellow Muturawai locals, volunteers and those involved in the emergency and recovery effort. Hear about their experiences of loss and upheaval, the impact on their lives, and the community-led initiatives that helped Muduay find a way forward. Welcome to Precipice. In this episode, I speak with Zach Bogden. Zach talks about his role as the coordinator of Scars on the Land, a project instigated by the Murawai Community Association and the Murawai Environmental Trust after the Cyclone to replant the exposed land of the demolished and removed houses with locally raised native trees. He explains how this project works and the goals for the planting.
SPEAKER_03So the the the aim of the project or the main goal is in in my head is to bring back as much bird life into Murawai, uh as as many native plants as we can to plant on the uh on on those cars. So, you know, botacava trees, carnucus, maukaas, flaxes, cabbage trees. Just yeah, it's just beautiful, absolutely gorgeous.
MandyHe shares his experience and challenges of being ordered to evacuate his house in the main crescent. That was completely unharmed.
SPEAKER_03In my opinion, it's my home. You know, I live here, you know. Yes, I take responsibility. I'm an adult, I take responsibility. If I get blown over by the wind or a hell or whatever, it it's on me, it's not on you guys. And in my opinion, people should be given that choice and that opportunity to decide for themselves.
MandyAnd not being able to return to his home for seven and a half months. He talks about insurance support for temporary accommodation and future cover and how it felt to finally return to his home in Muriwai. And you are from Croatia originally and came out here when you were twenty-three. Yes. What brought you to m to Muriwai Beach?
SPEAKER_03Uh my lovely wife. So we um we bought our original first home in Glen Eden and we lived in Glen Eden for eight years, and then but my wife had this longing to come and live at Muraway Beach, and uh we tried 1995, but it didn't work out. And then uh in 2002, um I was working with a with a lady at a time uh uh in a law firm and she was selling her home and we ended up buying it and Can you tell us a little bit about what you were expecting before the event actually happened? Before the event we've heard the warnings on the radio TV um uh internet about you know the the storm coming, the cyclone coming. But all the warnings were pointing out that it's going to hit an east coast, not a west coast. And with easterly wind blowing, I was like, uh nah, should be right. It's just gonna blow over, you know, it's we it's not gonna it's not going to hit us. Um because we had a a storm two weeks prior, and in preparation after that storm and preparation for a cyclone Gabriel, I I did a bit of cleaning of the drains around the house. Um I went on the road and I cleaned up some drains on on the road kind of thing, sort of just doing the council job. Um but other than that, I didn't really prepare anything, so to speak, because the warnings were all pointing that it's going to happen on the East Coast. So um, given that, I was just like, nah, she'll be right, we'll be we'll be okay.
MandyYeah, and it's just another storm, and we are quite sheltered from the Easterlies. So yeah, we we weren't really too concerned at that point. So when was it that you actually thought actually this is this is more serious than I thought?
SPEAKER_03Well, to be honest with you, Mandy, not until the next morning after the event, because um we lost power in around about nine o'clock, nine thirty. Um and even though the the we had the phones charged up and everything else, sort of, you know, I wasn't really listening too much to the um what was happening out there, so there were warnings on the phone coming through and that sort of stuff. But then the the next morning when I sort of went out on the road and sort of walked up and down the road, uh, I just sort of gobsmacked to the devastation and uh debris on the road and you know water everywhere and silt on our driveway and stuff like that, yeah.
MandyAnd you weren't feeling in the night that you needed to leave your house? You weren't concerned?
SPEAKER_03I my wife was a little bit concerned, I think, but I I wasn't because I felt safest in the house or safer than I would have out out there, especially without power, um any street lighting, uh the wind was you know blowing gale, and I I didn't know that we could drive, I didn't think we would drive out, so I was just like, no, we're we're staying here. And at a time we had a uh a relative staying with us, uh, who had two dogs, which one of them was a little bit reactive, so which made it again a little bit harder to try and go somewhere. Uh so we just decided we'll just stay where we are. Um and yeah, but then next morning when I walked up the road, I was just like, yeah, absolutely gobsmacked at a at a at a holder station.
MandyWhat did you actually see as you came out of your home and and looked up the road?
SPEAKER_03Well, when I looked left, there was a um couple of trees down, a lot of silt on the road, and when I looked right, uh I could see a house or part of a house on the road. Um uh there was a house at 47 Domain Crison that went down um in the storm. Um and then sort of I walked towards the house and then saw all that mud and uh silt on the road and which was literally uh almost a knee deep. And then obviously on the other side, um going going further up Domain Crison, there was another house that came down, which we weren't able to get to because of all the trees, but you could see the house was down and stuff like that. So so yeah, I I just yeah, it I I never expected something like that to happen here. It it looked like some places in Asia that you know you see on TV because they they have those events regularly there and landslides and stuff like that. So I I always used to say, Oh, you know, we'll be uh seafront in 30 years with the global warming and stuff like that. But I I never ever thought that a hill behind us is gonna go down and and affect the community.
MandySince then there have been other events in New Zealand and it's it's becoming something that we are learning more about and hopefully preparing more for. So what did you do after that? I mean, I guess you got the call to to get out of your house, or you know, what happened then the next day?
SPEAKER_03So the next day we I spent most of the day cleaning the driveway because we had a silt came up across the road, on the road, across the road, onto our driveway, and it sort of pulled us sort of at the bottom of the driveway, and some of it went under the house, um, which was just a storage area under the house. So I spent most of the day cleaning that up and you know, talking to neighbors who were still around because quite a few people sort of um did stay in their houses or came back after the after being evacuated. And uh so that there was that morning off, and and as I said, most of the day the the the biggest issue was we had no power, we had no water, so that there was that was a bit difficult, but I still felt that sort of there was nothing wrong with the house, there's no damage, we hadn't, you know, not a single branch ended up on the roof or anything else, other than a little bit of silt. Um, so yeah, I just continued doing that, um, talking to people, and there were council people driving up and down in the uh the Unimogue. I don't know, there was one of the locals that was driving it up and down, and they were looking at a at a hill. And is it coming down? Is it coming down? And I was of the opinion wherever came down, it came down, and it that that's gonna probably stay there. And then obviously we've got a a quite uh a sad update that a loss of two two firefighters, and uh which was um yeah, devastating, especially one of them lived across the road from us, which was sort of you know not that it mattered where he lived, but you know, I kind of I knew I knew him quite well, so yeah, that was that was tough. Yeah. And yeah, so following that we just kind of continued hunkering down in the house, and then um I think on Friday morning we got told that we have to evacuate. But day before that, Wednesday or Thursday, I think it must have been Thursday. My neighbor uh further up the road and myself, we actually got shovels out and we went and cleaned up some silt and mud from the corner where the house went down, so that we could take the sm our small cars out. So the people in four-wheel drives and stuff like that they were able to get through, but we got little car little had little cars, so we literally made a made a way and then got sort of our partners to drive the cars through and park them down the bottom part of the main so that we actually sort of had a had a transport so that we could go and you know we went, got some supplies from the shops and stuff like that. But yeah. That's good. You could get out. Yeah.
MandyAnd and you didn't have that fear that something else was going to happen, or you felt reasonably safe at that time?
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, I I felt safe because like the we obviously uh followed uh uh forecasts and you know what was coming, what was going, but uh the storm has moved on, um sort of the rain has stopped and stuff like that. So I was pretty pretty sure that we're sort of, you know, we were over the rest of it and that should be okay.
MandyAnd when you talk about um being told to evacuate, how did that actually happen?
SPEAKER_03Uh so on Thursday afternoon we had uh um people from the council walking up and down the road and looking at uh houses across the road from us and um the three of them went up to uh Late Craig's house or above it. Um and they told me that the the hill is still moving. But in my opinion, the hill wasn't moving. What moved was the deck that was built uh on the front of a sleep out that Craig built. Um and deck moved because of the slip below it, but the s the hill behind it wasn't moving. Anyway, they came out, came down on the road, and the guy said to me, I said, Oh, you know, how is she looking? And he said, Oh, you know, it doesn't look good, and you know, it'll probably impact you guys as well. And that was Thursday afternoon, and then on Monday morning, uh we were trying to go and see my father-in-law who lived in um Henderson Valley, and we were told that we couldn't leave because there's some announcement coming, blah blah. So we went back home, and then I think it must have been about 10 o'clock, 10:30, the people started knocking on the doors, and everybody who was still in the street today, we were told that we have to evacuate, um, or they will get a police in and take us out by force. Wow. Yeah.
MandyThat's interesting. Yeah. And what what did you feel about that? How did that make you feel?
SPEAKER_03Well, I mean, it that's that's one of the things is that you know made me realize that it doesn't matter if you have a two million dollar mortgage on your house, if you've got no mortgage on your house, or if you've got a little shed, or you've got a big, big mansion, the state can come in and take it away. It's it's that's how it felt to me, because they they didn't ask anything, they just said you have to evacuate. And then to I don't know, to make things worse for us and for me personally was that we weren't even allowed to come back and pick up some things. So we were we were told, oh, you will you will be given half an hour to come in and and collect your tanks, and we had to book the time slots, and there were no time slots available for a following week. So yeah, it was just I kind of started to see and understand the conspiracy theorists about you know their views on against the state and you know why some people go down the rabbit holes and why they end up where they end up, kind of thing, because they there there was a little bit too much control and too much sort of a uh power exhibited in in my opinion.
MandyThat's interesting. And were you were you having any thoughts at all that you weren't going to do what they were telling you to do?
SPEAKER_03Um I was. And possibly if I wasn't my own, like if it wasn't for my wife, I I may have sort of, you know, just flaunted the rules and just gone out and then come back. It's you know, so because yeah, it's it's in my opinion, was it's my home, you know. I live here, you know. Yes, I take responsibility. I'm an adult, I take responsibility. If I get blown over by that wind or a hell or whatever, it it's on me, it's not on you guys. And in my opinion, people should be given that choice and that opportunity to decide for themselves. Yeah, because it's it was like it was I don't know. I I grew up watching a lot of Second World War movies because we were sort of communist country when I was growing up, and uh, most of the movies were home produced, and a lot of them were about Second World War and stuff like that, and sort of in some ways it it it kind of made me feel like people in the Second World War when they you know Nazis or or or whoever group came through and they kicked people out of their homes so that they can take take over and make their headquarters or uh yeah, so that that kind of stuff, you know. The the power of the state and power of the of the council kind of sort of just yeah make makes you feel very, very small and insignificant.
MandySo thanks to your uh lovely wife Andrea, you did end up leaving your home. Yes. And uh what was the plan from there?
SPEAKER_03Well, we had no plan. So um at a time we had a small camper van, which we were sort of said, okay, you know, if you know this is where we're gonna try and use that and sort of you know go to a campground or somewhere like some people did. Um so we were we went down to the Sand Junes where uh council set up the uh um headquarters across the road from St. Junes and uh uh Rangers Depot. So we were sitting out there and uh drinking coffee, and uh a couple of our friends rang up and said, Oh, you know, we just heard that everybody's been evacuated, everybody has to leave the house, you guys can come and save us. And I said, Oh no, we'll be okay at a moment, we're okay at a moment. And then the couple where who I worked for originally when I came to New Zealand, uh Milka and Ivan Silic, um they have a home uh in Bakwa Hoopai. Um and they also have a uh self-contained one-bedroom unit. And Milka rang and she said, Oh, you're coming and stay with us. And I said, Oh no, we're okay, we'll be okay. And she said, I'm sending Ivan to pick you up, you're coming and stay with us. You you know, these the the unit is free, nobody's using it, and you know, you've got somewhere to stay. Um, and we were like, No, we don't really want to sort of burden anybody, you know, we'll be okay. And she just wouldn't take note for an answer. So we ended up going and staying in in that little unit with with them. And then um, so there was this sort of on that Friday. Um, but before that, while we were waiting, we sort of tried to sort out our relative who was living with us, um, because she had two dogs, and uh, you know, where where where do you go with dogs and stuff like that? And so luckily, um I think it was why Maria Dog Dog Kennels and Back on your way valley um Angeline, who sort of took a lot of people's pets over sort of to look after them for a few days, just until people sorted themselves out. So that's what she did. She dropped the dogs off over there, and then she went to stay with her father for a few days. Um, and subsequently, we sort of we stayed with these friends with Milkan Ivan in um uh at the back of Hua Pai on and off for pretty much duration of being evacuated. We also have friends in um at a time she was living in Glenbrook, so we stayed with with her as well just to sort of give these guys a break and give ourselves a break and and stuff like that. Yeah, it was kind of surreal and and uh hard and not knowing what's happening, who's gonna do what, what we can do, what we can't do, kind of thing. We had a few things with us that we packed and gone out. Um didn't have any towels, we didn't have any, uh we only had a couple of changes of clothes and that sort of thing. So we ended up going to um I think the next day, which would have been Saturday, we ended up going to um the Trust Stadium because they set up uh like a uh uh event management center there for people, sort of so that the people could come in and get uh um hot food and drinks and stuff like that. They also had some uh clothes there and towels and stuff like that, so we we picked up a few things there and also registered with uh Ministry of Social Development, I think it was. Um because they were giving some grants to people who were evacuated for a I don't know, I can't even remember, it was like you know, $600 or something like that. Um and even though like you know, we we're not we we we've we had money and we've got money, but we thought, well, okay, we don't know how long we're gonna what's gonna happen. So we just did everything we were told to do, so we registered with them. Um and then um yeah, we just um pretty much lived in sort of the state of limbo, hoping to something will happen, and then you know, there were various meetings, post event, what's happening, uh, how long it's gonna take, and you know, nobody nobody really knew. And you know, I remember talking to people uh from the street and they're saying, Oh, I've heard they're going to hold on christ and is going every house. So yeah, the the stories like that were going around sort of didn't make make things sort of any easier.
MandyYeah, there were definitely a lot of stories. And it was an interesting time, wasn't it, when people were kind of sneaking through other people's properties to get to their house to grab passports or you know the things that they needed and and everyone was was really kind of going undercover with that because they were kind of afraid of getting spotted, I suppose, which is that in itself is is quite interesting, isn't it?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, because like we were we were told that um we can face a fine of up to $100,000 or even imprisonment if we break the rules and if we have we are caught in our house. So yes, we um drove up the neighbour's driveway up the uh from Mototara up to their place and then parked our van there, and then I pushed back through the bottom of the section and gone and pretty much got some like we had our passports with us, but got some clout more clothes and some other bits and and also cleaned up the fridge and made sure that you know this this stuff because we still had no power, we didn't know how long the power's going to be off, and so we didn't want to leave the stuff sort of rotting in the fridge. And and then our first allocated slot to go into the house would have been probably 10 days after we were evacuated. Um we we were just ridiculous. There was this young guy, he must have been late teens, early 20s, with a bullhorn standing on the top of the driveway looking at the hill, like and we were given 30 minutes to go and sort of in and sort out our house kind of thing. So what can you do in 30 minutes, right? And and I said to a guy, so what what what are you expecting to happen? He said, Oh, I was just told to keep an eye on the hell. If the hell starts moving, I've got to press the bullhorn and we just gotta get out of here. I said, Are you serious? He said, Yep, these are the rules. And I said, Well, I said, No, your rules suck. So, um, but anyway, so we we we we did that, and then because it's such a um performance and and uh uh uh a pain in the bum to actually get that time slot. You've got a ring or you've got to register, you've got to do this, you've got to do that. Oh no, you can't do it at that time, you can do it at this time, and then one time we re we registered for first, second time, I think, and then we got it got cancelled because they didn't have enough people to do it and stuff like that. So I said, that's it, I'm not doing it anymore. So next time again, when we needed something, I just went through the neighbour's drive and uh we we just got it that way.
MandyDo you think they would have actually fined people? Do you think it was kind of a a way to try and keep some sort of control and order?
SPEAKER_03I I think it was that because I I do know of the of a of a person who who lived throughout the uh period in in his house. I mean, he moved out and then three days later or something like that, he came back in, and you know he was in and out most of that. And it was known fact that he was there. Uh and he didn't get fined, which is fine. But I I think it's m it was more sort of a uh uh uh I don't know waving a big stick saying you know you if you do that you're gonna get hit with this stick, uh because they didn't want people to to go home and they they wanted to have that control. Which I kind of understand up to a point, and I understand that if the the there's an imminent danger that yes, that that's fine, and if your house has been damaged, then you know you there there's possibility that parts of the house going to collapse or something like that. Um I do understand it. Maybe you shouldn't go there. If there's a slip right behind your house, hey, you don't want to go there. But you know, in our case, we were across the road from the hill. There was no evidence slip from from our that we could see from us. Um, and yet we had to sort of um move out and and stay out for seven and a half months. Um it's a long time, and especially a long time when you don't know what the final outcome is going to be. So there there was communication from the council. Oh, we're doing LIDA testing, we're doing uh water testing, we're doing this, we're doing that. But there was no uh communication from the point of view that yes, there's 80% chance you can go back home, or there's 50% chance you can go back home. Like there was no that there was no sort of a hope given, in my opinion, to people, to us yeah, no indication in terms of like what's going on. And um yeah, so after seven and a half months, you know, finally got home, and my wife's Andrea's biggest fear was that you know that the stuff is going to get ruined in the house, you know, mold and you know, because the house has been shut up for such a long time. Uh, but luckily, no, every everything was fine, you know. That we we had no no issues with mold, we had no issues with uh um rat infestation.
MandyIn that time that you were out of your home, how did you use some of the community initiatives? Did you sort of make the most of those?
SPEAKER_03One of the biggest things that that happened after the event is that that Muite community rallied and and you know people got together and and people uh tried to help each other as much as they could. It's devastating the cyclone was and sort of, you know, and really it has devastated community, especially with you know losing two two members of our community. But in my opinion, it also brought a community a bit closer. Um we always had, and I think we always will have people who come here because they want to be left alone, maybe not be reclusive, but they don't want to really be involved with the community. But there's also a a big group of people who want to be part of community and who want to sort of uh um do things for community. So, you know, the likes of Clear Bradley and Erin Griffin and sort of you know the the the people that are sort of in very involved with the with the community, um, you know, the initiatives that they started, you know, the hub, that there was just a amazing thing, and it was, you know, if for for us it was quite helpful. I I think the the community got together and you know people really sort of decided that yes, we're on our own here, we need to help each other. And you know, let's just get on with it, which was great.
MandyAnd a lot of people had issues with insurance. Uh your house, as you said, wasn't actually damaged hugely. How did you find dealing with insurance and and what were you hoping for?
SPEAKER_03Well, yes, as you say, no, that that we had no damage on the house at all, um, other than a little bit of a silt sort of on the driveway and and under the house. But one of the things we were told also um is to make contact with our insurance company and put a claim in just in case if there's some damage that we didn't see, or if there's sort of been land movement that can't be seen and everything else, and also our insurance uh had a cover or sort of to give us some money for a temporary accommodation. So we um ended up going into the uh the insurance companies. I think quite a few of them set up a like a support hub in Waimauku Memorial Hall. Um, so literally we drove there, I sat down, I spoke to a couple of people from insurance company, and 15 minutes later they filled in all the forms on the um on their computer, and the next day I had 2,000 bucks in my bank account. The one thing that they did do is they tried to charge us access, which was $800 supposedly, on uh um on that. And so even though they paid $2,000 straight away, then the three days later they rang me and they said, Oh, you've got to you've got to pay $800 back because that's your access. And then I said, But hang on. I said, when I read through my policy, the access applies, doesn't apply to a a uh temporary accommodation um support. And the person on the phone said, Oh, but that's not correct. And I said, Well, I'm reading the policy right now. I said, close whatever 20 something, it's towards the bottom, and it's very fine writing, but I can read, and that's what it says. I said, I'm happy to send you a copy, or better yet, why don't you pull it up? So she pulled it up and she said, Oh, yes, I'm sorry, I see. I see what you mean. So I think what was happening there is because they were so overwhelmed, they were they were bringing in people that on a temporary basis who sort of really didn't know what they were talking about, anyway. So they were sorted out. So we ended up getting $2,000 from the insurance company for temporary accommodation. And if we needed to, we were able to apply for a further um temporary accommodation as well. But because we weren't renting, we were sort of staying with friends, we had no um no need for it. And because the we we were, I think it was they were going to pay up to $10,000 for a temporary accommodation, uh, but you have to supply uh receipts from the landlord that you're actually paying the rent, kind of thing. So that that was great. Um, and then post-event, like after we got back into into our home and stuff like that, you know, sort of, you know, I got in touch with them and you know, they just wanted to know that there was no further issues with the house that we haven't discovered. And I said, well, haven't discovered any damage, and they closed the claim and there was that, yeah.
MandyAnd after seven and a half months, you ended back in your house, which was great. But how did that actually feel for you?
SPEAKER_03I think it was I don't know, it's it's hard to describe. It was the it was relief, it was elation, it was um, I don't know, all of those things were kind of we just we just we were so happy coming back home and sort of you know going down to drive and then sort of you know seeing you know half a foot of leaves and debris on the driver from the broken branches and stuff like that, because in seven months it was winter, nobody did anything, you know, overgrown grass and stuff like that. So I literally just got stuck into it outside. Andrea and my wife got stuck inside and we just sort of you know started cleaning and tidying up and stuff like that. And it was just yeah, I don't know. I think I guess the um it was just happiness that we were back home. Hearing the surf 24-7 and you know being able to go for a walk on the beach and stuff like that was great.
MandyYou have a really important role um with Scars on the Land, which is an initiative I think that is that Middle Eye has has created. Can you tell us about what that actually means and how you're involved and how you got involved in the beginning?
SPEAKER_03So the uh Scars on the Land project is a uh uh initiative that sort of jointly uh came together by Muraway Community Association and Muraway Environmental Trust. Um and the idea is to uh uh try and heal the scars that were left post-cyclone. Um and in in my mind, what I would like to see happen is to that we replant scars with uh native plants um and turn those scars into the bush, into native bush. Now my understanding is that it's even three years down the track, the the there's still no uh final decision of the future use of that land. You know, there's distinct possibility that some of the sites that we we did work on or we might work on might be sort of uh repurposed for something else and those plants are gonna be taken away again, stuff like that. But I I still think that the project that it's worthwhile because it sort of it gives communities something to to work with and something to see, even though at the moment you know it's a small group of people that are sort of you know turning up and doing stuff kind of thing. But I'm hoping that you know we we might be able to sort of you know get a little bit of impetus and and get get a bit more help with that. So the the the aim of the project or the the main goal is in in my head is to bring back as much bird life into into Murawai, uh as as many native plants as we can to plant on the uh on on those scars. And some of the land, some of the scars we won't be able to touch because simply because of the steepness and the the the weight of the land is at the moment, so we we can't get onto it or it's too dangerous to go on it because of the you know that there might be a a huge holes or debris left or because they haven't been cleaned up correctly and properly and stuff like that. But I would say that 80% of the of the category three sites, which are scars, we should be able to do something with. And even though a lot of people are happy to come and help with planting, not many people are happy to come and help with pulling the weeds out, kind of thing. So it's a sort of a double-edged sword. But we are working, or I'm working myself, I'm working on a premise, hoping that have uh say between eight and ten um sections planted with the native trees per season. So we started last year. Um and I got involved in it by already been involved with the Murr Rider Environmental Trust. I'm doing some trapping. I've got two trap lines that I sort of regularly check, and I'm also involved with the Weed Walkers. And I believe that somebody from Weed Walker suggested my name to Claire as a as a potential person for a um uh for a scars project because um Erin Griffith was originally going to run it, but she had some health issues, so she sort of decided to step back. So I was walking my dog on the beach, and Claire said, Oh Zach, good morning, how are you? I just got a question. Would you be interested? I said, Oh, okay.
MandyI love that about the community. You can't you can't escape.
SPEAKER_03So that that's how I kind of got approached, and that sort of said, you know, I never really thought about saying, Oh, maybe you know, I should think about it or something like that. I just kind of you know, I kind of knew the project was already there. Um, I I knew you know what was the aim of the project, so I thought, well, you know, hey, just get into it and and try and make it happen. So that's what we've been trying to do. So so far we've uh planted four sections. So we planted a section next to the or part of a section, which is sort of a bit of a bank next to Murroy Lodge, next to Murroy Dali. Um we planted on 232 Motutara Road, and we planted 69 and 71 Domain Crescent. I'm going on a premise to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, because I asked for permission and uh it's been hard and long time coming. I know the council's got their own processes and their own rules and all the rest of it, but you know what we're saying, we're not asking you for anything, we're just asking you, can we go on this sites? And and and there was some sort of reluctance and there was some sort of uh negative feelings towards this kind of thing. No, you shouldn't be doing this. These are category three sites, they're unsafe sites, you can't go there, blah blah blah. And I understand it. And I understand that some of those sites are sort of you know potentially dangerous, but I'm not going to go onto that site in the gal force wind with a sort of you know rain lashing down and stuff like that. I'm only going and I'm not going up to the hill that I can't walk up to. I'm only looking to at areas which are sort of easily accessible where we can put some plants down which will grow and then self-seed and hopefully bring, you know, uh we'll have more plants and more trees and everything else. We also had some ideas about sort of, you know, maybe trying to uh create a couple of community orchards or mini orchards kind of thing, which is still sort of hasn't been truly uh fully decided, but you know, I'd like to see it happen. Maybe it's just simple few things like maybe a few lemon trees, a couple of oranges and stuff like that, so that if somebody needs a lemon from the neighborhood, oh I haven't got one at home, maybe I'll go and have a look on the community orchard kind of thing. But from the point of view that it's sort of low maintenance and it doesn't need sort of any sort of big work around it.
MandyThe scars that you're talking about are the empty sections where the houses have been taken away, uh as well as the actual landslides, or is it really just focusing on the sections?
SPEAKER_03Well, we I'd like to see the landslides as well, but uh see them planted. But I as I said, we probably won't be able to get some of this on the sections where the landslides have happened, simply because of the the the the state of the section, because um you know a few sections on Mototara Road is just sort of too steep to go onto them. And even the uh the roadside part is sort of probably unsafe because of the there's a lot of debris that's been left here and stuff like that. So um unless you know that gets sort of uh tidied up by the council, which I can't see it happening, we'll probably probably won't be doing all of them. But I would I'm hopeful that out of 68 sections we should be able to do at least 60. And you know, I'm not saying it's going to be me that's gonna finish it off, but you know, I'm I'm I'm really keen to you know keep going for as long as I sort of have uh energy and sort of desire to to work with this, but you know, it's a probably uh I would say five, maybe seven-year project, eight to ten sections a year, and then on top of it, sort of trying to do some maintenance around it in terms of weeding and stuff like that.
MandyWe have a nursery in Muriwai, which is run by volunteers, and that's part of the Miraway Environmental Trust. Yes. And uh, is it right that they are taking seedlings from native plants in Muriguai and then growing them, and then you're using those?
SPEAKER_03Yes, that's correct.
MandyYeah, which I I really love that idea.
SPEAKER_03So that's I I I guess that's how the project sort of came about because the the community nursery was growing plants, and then it was a sort of uh uh no, they didn't have a glut because they also supplied some of the plants to the uh council to rangers and stuff like that to plant around. But then somebody said, Hey, why don't we sort of use those plants and sort of then or local community nursery to uh grow plants so we can sort of you know plant them around scarce? And I was like, Yes, that's a great idea. I think across four sections we planted about maybe 900 to a thousand plants.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_03Um, all grown locally, all grown by local volunteers. Um Chrissy Hammond, she's a sort of a nursery manager and she's a sort of a superwoman, in my opinion, because uh, I mean she's always there and she's you know she's uh not getting paid. She's sort of uh uh she's got a background in the sort of uh uh nursery business, so she definitely knows what she's doing. And uh, you know, all all the plants that are they've been growing, they're all healthy, and because they're from the seeds here, grown here, so we know that they will grow here and they will thrive here. So, you know, botakawa trees, canukas, manukas, flexes, cabbage trees, they're just yeah, it's just beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. Mira Environmental Trust is trying to bring the kiwi back to Goldi's Bush. So, like, you know, I would love nothing more than to have enough bush around Murroy Village for maybe a Kiwi too to come and make their way into the village. Because with all the initiatives that we're doing in terms of trapping and and baiting and stuff like that, you know, hopefully we'll get rid of predators and you know having native flora and fauna thriving around here would be just fine fantastic.
MandyDo you have a different attitude now towards weather in Ottawa?
SPEAKER_03You know, the climate change is real, you know, we we can't escape it. It it's going to get wetter. Uh and the only way that we can sort of make our lives easier and hopefully never have to deal with the event like we had here in Miraway ever again is if we work with the nature and work with the land. I'm hoping that going forward the councils around the country, not just Auckland Council, will stop and think and say, Okay, yes, Mr. Developer, I know that you want to pull put hundred houses here, but it is a floodplain, and no, we actually can't we can't build here because at the end of the day it's going to be uh ratepayers and uh taxpayers who's going to pick up the bill when things go wrong.
MandyIs there something hopeful or meaningful that you'd like to leave us with?
SPEAKER_03Well, I hope that Murray will never have to go through this kind of event again, ever again. You know, not in my lifetime, not in three lifetimes. And uh, you know, I think I saw the quote by Charles Swindell who says, Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. So I guess from my personal experience post the event is that if we look at it, 10% was what happened to me was this cyclone hitting and and council evacuating it and stuff like that. But 90% was my reaction that actually made my life probably a lot more difficult for a period of time that it should have should have should have been. So yeah, we we can't we can't change inevitable, but we can change how we react to it.
MandyPrecipice was commissioned and funded by Mudouai Community Association, supported by the Aucton Council Recovery Office. Artwork by Taylor Williams, soundtrack by local Murawai band Tin People, written in response to Cyclone Gabrielle. Nam Mahi, thank you to the Mudowai community for their input and bravery and for sharing their stories. And thank you for listening.
