05 March 2025
By Sarah Neish in The Drinks Business
Image from The Drinks Business
Sandra Hazlehurst, mayor of Hastings, New Zealand, tells db about the intensive two-year clean-up the region has undergone following Cyclone Gabrielle, and how Hawke’s Bay is looking at its brightest future yet.
In February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand’s North Island with force, causing billions of dollars worth of damage and wreaking havoc on vineyards in Hawke’s Bay.
Two years on from the devastating event, db speaks to Hastings District Council mayor Sandra Hazlehurst about how the region is recovering.
“Cyclone Gabrielle hit us hard,” she says. “We pretty much haven’t looked up since it happened. More than NZ$1.2 billion dollars worth of damage was done to our region, so we’ve spent the last two years in full recovery.” [READ MORE…]