Canterbury earthquake (Federated Farmers Wednesday update)
We need to know who needs help because fatigue is rapidly setting in.
Major updates and rural news:
Farmers urged to ask for relief
As of today, there had been 64 offers of labour, not including Rural Contractors. This is without Federated Farmers actively asking for any labour, so there is a large pool of people who genuinely wish to help farmers in need.
Advice from DairyNZ, applicable to all farmers, is that sleep deprivation could become an issue for farmers, your families and your staff. Sleep deprivation can lead to impaired judgement and it is vital farmers pace themselves for recovery.
We recognise fear and aftershocks are not helping matters, but relief must be planned for. Federated Farmers is aggregating demand and while we have numerous offers (real or pledged), there are very few takers at this juncture. People in the affected area have been working on overload for a number of days and this is unsustainable.
If you need assistance, from help tidying up your farm house to on-farm labour or full relief, please call 0800 327 646 and register.
Tomorrow afternoon’s earthquake meeting at Darfield High School
This is an open invitation to farmers, their families as well as advisers, contractors and anyone who has pitched in over recent days. It is being held at Darfield High School (7 McLaughlins Road) on Thursday, 9 September from 4.30 - 6.30pm with a free BBQ to follow (thanks to DB Breweries, the meat companies and a very kind donor).
This meeting will provide everyone with practical tips and advice about the vital ’what next?’. Speakers include the councils, banks, infrastructure, regional recovery, insurance and the EQC. The Government will be represented by the Hon. Bill English MP, Minister of Finance with invitations also out to local MPs.
We’re also arranging activities for children to make this as family-friendly as possible with non-alcoholic beverages and children’s entertainment. To further boost morale, at the end of the meeting, the Farming Show’sJamie Mackay, On the Field’s Richard Loe and celebrity Cantabrian Dick Tayler, are teaming up to add some much needed humour. The full agenda will be re-sent this evening.
Please test your wells
Important advice from yesterday is repeated below as a number of farmers are now assessing farm damage. Given the impact of seismic events on deep wells is relatively unknown, Federated Farmers advises all farmers in Canterbury, North Canterbury especially, to undertake the following three tests on their wells:
1. Measure static water levels before the pump is turned on then compare levels to those prior to Saturday’s quake.
2. Start the pump to ensure it operates electrically, then check the flow meter for the expected flow and that the pump attains high pressures before turning off.
3. Check the main line has filled with water and reaches pressure as well as holding pressure.
If any of these tests fail, please make contact with your relevant irrigation company as soon as possible. Additionally, call Federated Farmers on 0800 327 646 and give your physical location and numbers of wells affected. This will enable us to see if any problems are localised or not.
Regional Rural Recovery Group advice
Please see yesterday’s advisory for important advice and tips – please click here. An update on the Group will come tomorrow,
Rural Support Trust North Canterbury
Rural Support Trust North Canterbury’s Doug Archbold, is currently gauging matters with Federated Farmers Field Officer, Mark Burnside.
Mobil fuel rumours unfounded
There is no fire or other damage to Mobil oil terminals at Lyttelton and Woolston, or to the pipeline between the two over the Port Hills, which is impacting the supply of fuel to the Christchurch area. Mobil is not aware of any fire or significant damage at other oil company facilities, although it cannot speak for the other companies. Mobil has sufficient fuel available in its Christchurch terminals to meet current demands. The next shipment of fuel into Lyttelton is scheduled for next week (September 14, with subsequent one on September 16). Supplementary fuel supplies are available from other oil company terminals in the South Island (Timaru, Dunedin and Nelson).
0800 FARMING (0800 327 646)
The 0800 number will be taking calls until 6pm tonight (messages may also left) and again from 8.30 am in the morning. If the matter is life threatening dial 111. Other advice can be sought afterhours from our provincial teams (number listed at the end).
Other important notices and essential services:
Checking damage to farm effluent systems
DairyNZ’s Invercargill based Environmental Extension Specialist, John White, is an expert in effluent systems. Given farmers are assessing the physical damage farms may have sustained, John is an expert resource who can be contacted 021 245 9155.
Electricity update for the Orion network
All power has been restored to those customers who lost supply due to the 7:49am after-shock this morning. Orion is now firmly focused on its original target of restoring power to all customers by the end of this week. It estimates that there are 200 customers without power. The customers still affected are typically individual customers impacted by each fault which slows progress in getting numbers down.
Orion is now at the stage of requesting customers who remain without power to call it on 03 363 9898 to ensure that you are in its system.
Telecom service update
While this morning’s aftershock caused a brief interruption to Telecom’s services in central parts of Christchurch, the majority of service has been restored and Telecom is continuing to work in partnership with Civil Defence agencies to complete restoration of services. 111 services are fully available and fixed line infrastructure is performing well, as are both Telecom mobile networks.
The mobile networks are currently dealing with a very high number of calls, so Telecom is urging its customers to minimise use of mobile phones for anything other than important calls, and especially to limit the sending of images and video and using mobile broadband. As an alternative, Telecom has made its payphones free in and around Christchurch for local, national and mobile calls. Telecom rightly asks people to use this responsibly, by keeping calls brief and prioritising important calls.
Chorus continues to investigate physical damage to network infrastructure, with an emphasis on maintaining core parts of the network and will attempt to access sites as soon as possible, subject to damage and civil defence requirements, to investigate. Chorus has brought in 100 additional people to the region to help with on-going restoration work and is prioritising faults related to the core network and key services
Short term weather outlook
Today there will be patchy light rain or drizzle, with low cloud about the coast and easterly breezes. Tomorrow, it will be cloudy with drizzle, but rain developing north of Christchurch in the evening, with easterlies. On Friday there will be areas of drizzle, especially north of Ashburton, clearing during the morning and becoming fine. Light, mainly northeast breezes. For Saturday, clouds will increase with northeasterlies freshening. On Sunday, it will be mainly fine with northerlies, followed by showers and southwesterlies. For a full update, please click here.
Roading update (Selwyn)
SH77 is closed between Glentui and Glentunnel. The Davis Road, Osterhots Road and Saybys Road bridges are out of action but all other roads are passable with care. Repairs have now commenced.
Roading update (Waimakiriri)
Williams Street and the Williams Street bridge will be open from 10am and closing at 7pm today, but is still subject to water and power repairs being finished. This will be open from Thursday onwards from 7am - 7pm. Please note there will be limited access in this area and caution is required.
People have been asked to limit travel in Kaiapoi and Pines Kairaki to that which is essential. Only residents and essential services will be allowed in Fuller Street, Courtenay Drive, Hilton Street, Raven Quay, Charles Street, Cass Street, Sewell Street and Feldwick Crescent, together with Pines Beach and Kairaki.
Industry group updates:
Grains update
53 silos have now failed and farmers are urged not to attempt repairs without calling in assistance. Fatigue is the major issue as recovery teams have done an amazing amount of work with little or no sleep. Federated Farmers is able to assist farmers in need - for urgent advice, please contact David Clark, 027 495 5202 or 0800 327 646.
Dairy update
Federated Farmers have now identified upwards of 30 dairy farms with major damage being a combination of milking, farm infrastructure as well as pastures. Again, the big issue is fatigue but relief is available and Federated Farmers needs to know the scale needed by calling 0800 327 646.
Farmers needing advice can call DairyNZ’s acting regional leader for Canterbury, Simon Sankey, on 021 228 3446 as well as DairyNZ’s John White, about effluent systems on 021 245 9155. Federated Farmers North Canterbury Dairy chairperson, Kieran Stone, is available to offer advice on 027 558 8917 as well as Federated Farmers Dairy vice-chairperson, Willy Leferink, on 03 307 2666.
Meat & Fibre
If your pasture and farm infrastructure is damaged, please call 0800 327 646. If the matter is important, speak with Dugald McLean on 03 313 5442.
Bees update
Any beekeeper with damaged hives should contact 0800 327 646 or seek advice from Graeme Albon on 021 025 20328 or John Hartnell on 021 578 754.
Support from the major rural lenders:
Westpac customers
§ Westpac is on the phones proactively calling all of its rural customers
§ The Bank has pulled in agribusiness teams from the North Island to assist
§ It is working with retail and business banking on the ground to keep the bank physically open
§ Westpac is offering loan repayment holidays, if required, to provide cashflow relief (for up to three months)
§ Agribusiness teams have special authority to approve emergency funding
§ The Westpac Canterbury Care Fund is to be established with $1 million. The Salvation Army will be a primary partner
§ Westpac has $1 billion available to its agribusiness and business bank customers to aid recovery
§ For more information call 0800 177 155.
Rabobank customers
§ Rabobank is adopting flexible and supportive measures to assist clients who experience financial hardship as a result of the earthquake
§ This includes, but is not limited to, full payment of interest for any broken term deposits (both for RaboDirect and for other deposits with Rabobank).
§ Rabobank will work on a case-by-case basis with affected clients to support them through the disaster
§ Rabobank New Zealand is donating $100,000 to the Salvation Army Canterbury Earthquake Appeal to support short and medium-term relief activities
§ Customers can call 0800 722 622 or their local account manager.
National Bank customers
§ Farm loans: three month repayment holidays
§ Shortened loan approval process to allow rapid local decisions
§ Increased overdraft limits to help people re-establish themselves after the quake
§ No break fees on term deposits for customers needing emergency funds
§ Credit cards: suspension of minimum repayments for three months, no additional interest or fees
§ Access to emergency short-term lending
§ Application fees will be waived
§ Donated $1 million to the Canterbury earthquake relief fund on Saturday
§ Click here for contact details for the Bank’s local rural managers.
BNZ customers
§ BNZ has called every rural customer
§ Its agribusiness managers have offered whatever support is required (including themselves as a labour pool)
§ BNZ also has five days paid volunteer leave for staff to support the Canterbury region
§ It can offer immediate temporary funding of $500,000 at cost of funds
§ Up to $500,000 temporary overdraft limit for 90 days subject to insurance
§ Up to $100,000 temporary overdraft limit for 90 days to cover other short term funding
§ Suspension of loan repayments for 90 days
§ All fees and margins waived for temporary funding
§ Waiver of early withdrawal costs for term deposits
§ A $1 million fund with donations to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Mayoral Fund and other projects
§ For more information call 0800 275 269.
ASB Bank customers
§ Access to working capital of up to $100,000 at the special variable rate of 1.25 percent p.a. below ASB’s housing variable rate. The current special variable rate is 5 percent p.a. Customers will not be charged Establishment or Service Commitment Fees
§ No Early Repayment Fees if repaying a business or rural loan, where the business is destroyed or has suffered major damage as a result of the earthquake
§ Access to funds in an ASB Term Deposit or ASB Term Fund account without paying any withdrawl fees
§ Please call ASB Contact Centre on 0800 272 007 between 8am - 8pm to discuss your needs (Lending criteria applies. Interest rates subject to change. ASB terms and conditions apply).