Cyclone Gabrielle Research Symposium

Lessons for the management of highly productive land

10am 19th – 3pm 20th November 2025, Havelock North Function Centre

Symposium Purpose

A great deal of semi-coordinated activity followed in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. However, there was much incomplete work that would add value by helping enrich our understanding of the longer-term effects of different management responses in different scenarios.

The symposium brought together those who investigated Cyclone Gabrielle’s impacts on highly productive land to present and discuss findings and observations and draw out lessons to aid land managers and policy makers in future events.

Among the questions were:

• What are the lessons for to pass on to those impacted by future events?
• What are the lessons for policy makers?
• What are the economic outcomes from different approaches?
• How have sites responded to different management of cropping soils, given different sediment types and depths?
• How have sites responded to the removal of sediment and any subsequent soil amelioration efforts?
• Have permanent crops responded differently to different approaches applied in similar scenarios?
• Are all soils recovering quickly? Will they return to previous productivity levels?

Participants

Researchers, advisors, farmers/growers and others involved in observing the impacts on productive land and the effects of different responses in the cases of Cyclone Gabrielle and previous similar events. e.g. Sectors, CRI/university researchers, regional councils, independent consultants, exporters and processors, impacted growers.

Presentations

Part 1: Observations from previous similar events

• Alex Dickson and Dan Bloomer. LandWISE Inc
  • Historical North Island Flood Events: Lessons for understanding flood sediment deposition and management. (presented by Peter Manson)

Part 2: Observations after Cyclone Gabrielle

• Kathleen Kozyniak, Team Leader Air & Land Science, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
  • An extraordinary storm: the severity of Cyclone Gabrielle’s weather in Hawke’s Bay
• Murry Cave, Principal Scientist, Gisborne District Council
  • The Science Response in the Year of Storms; A Gisborne/Tairawhiti perspective
• Chris Massey, Engineering Geologist, ESNZ – GNS
  • Insights into causes of landslides triggered by Cyclone Gabrielle
• Emily Lane, Principal Scientist – Natural Hazards and Hydrodynamics, ESNZ – NIWA
  • Understanding the flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle
• Ryan Paulik, Hazards Analyst, ESNZ – NIWA
  • Building Flood Damage from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle: Insights on Damage Processes and Implications for Flood Risk Assessments

Part 3: Impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on highly productive land

• Stephen Trolove, Senior Scientist, Cropping Systems & Environment, BSI-PFR
  • The effects of Cyclone Gabrielle on fruit tree health in Hawke’s Bay
• Lisa Arnold, Massey University and WSP. Environmental Consultant, WSP
  • Impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on stonefruit orchards in Hawke’s Bay: a case study
• Sarah McArley, AgFirst, Hawke’s Bay
  • Charting the course following Cyclone Gabrielle
• Dan Bloomer, LandWISE
  • Baseline sediment sampling in Tairawhiti and Hawke’s Bay
• Dirk Wallace, Senior Researcher, FAR
  • Impacts on cropping businesses

Part 4: Food safety lessons

• Phil Bremer, Chief Scientist for the New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre
  • Lessons from the Horticultural Sector Response to Cyclone Gabrielle
• Damien Farrelly, CEO, Fresh Produce Safety Centre
  • Food safety and critical incidents: A unified approach for safer produce
• Chris Herries, Regional Manager, Horticentre Hawke’s Bay
  • Silt nutritional status and contamination concerns

Part 5: Landscape impacts

• Warwick Allen, Researcher, Plant Community Ecology, Bioeconomy Science Institute
  • Ecological impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle
• John Ballinger, Senior Land Management Advisor – Technical, Northland Regional Council
  • Cyclone Gabrielle and poplar windthrow in Northland: Field observations, vulnerability factors, and management implications
• Josh van der Werden, Research Associate, Plant and Food – Bioeconomy Science Institute
  • Seed/plant types and establishment in sediment
• Dirk Wallace, Senior Researcher, FAR
  • Recovery of annual cropping over two years
• Dan Bloomer, LandWISE
  • Returning to (some) baseline sampling sites to assess cropping soil recovery
• Alan Kale, ELAK Consultants Ltd
  • Recovery of annual cropping ground – Grower learnings
• Danielle Adsett, Manager Market Access, NZ Apples & Pears
  • Technical and extension learnings from Cyclone Gabrielle

Part 6: Breakout session – reflecting on lessons learned

Facilitated discussions – insights and extras from delegates

Symposium Support

Sponsorship

Please send any communications to Gabrielle at LandWISE org nz

Sally Anderson, Dirk Wallace and Dan Bloomer on behalf of the Symposium steering group.