New Zealand's Farmers Return To A Scarred Landscape

AHUROA, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 1: Karyn Maddren (in orange) and sister Shelley Morrison walk on a layered rock waterfall unearthed by a huge landslide at Streamland Suffolk, a 68 hectare sheep stud on March 1, 2023 in Ahuroa, New Zealand. The land owned by Karyn and partner Sue Meszaros where they live with four generations is now scarred with huge landslides, broken fences, downed trees and silt with large areas now inaccessible and unsafe for them or their sheep. Large swathes of New Zealand's north island, also its most populous, still lie devastated after twin disasters in late January and February. A historic amount or rainfall - the largest ever recorded - inundated Auckland, a city of 1.7 million people, leaving thousands of people flooded, cut off from power and water; landslides scarred the landscape both city and rural, testing a population already weary and recovering from years of pandemic lockdowns. A similar situation followed the devastation cased by Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke's Bay. New Zealand's farmers, a key part of the export-driven economy, took stock of the devastation and the daunting task of cleaning up, the twin disasters having severely disrupted their lives, livelihoods, and left many in financial and emotional distress. New Zealand's Prime Minister said that the country would accept external help as it attempts to rebuild, an extraordinary step for a developed economy - the cost of recovery is expected to reach into the billions of NZ dollars. (Footage by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)