Hailstorm batters businesses, decimates crops

The economic effects of a 20-minute hailstorm in Motueka will linger long after the initial cleanup is done.

The region was hit with a sudden and intense hailstorm on Boxing Day afternoon, part of a storm sweeping up the country, and within minutes roofs were collapsing, buildings were flooding, and crops of fruit were destroyed.

The recently re-roofed Hotel Motueka could not withstand the onslaught, with water pouring from the ceiling within minutes of the storm hitting.

General manager Vincent

Sibbald used pool cues to break holes in the ceiling, hoping to alleviate some pressure and prevent total collapse.

The restaurant and bar stayed open during the storm, with one section of the building holding up while the rest flooded.

Sibbald moved diners into the driest spots and turned out lights where there was water pouring in.

‘‘As soon as I saw the water coming through onto the carpet, I got out a bottle of detergent because if it’s going to be wet I might as well clean it.’’

There was no saving the situation, though, as the ceiling he tried to save completely caved in yesterday afternoon.

Sibbald said there had been an outpouring of community support, which he was touched by, but he asked for people to think about the local fruit growers.

‘‘We’re wet, but the ones I feel for are the orchardists,’’ he said.

‘‘Those guys supply so much for this community ... They’re the ones that are going to hurt from this for a long time.’’

Motueka Fruit Growers Association president Richard Clarkson said the storm would have done millions of dollars of damage to the industry, but it would take two or three weeks to fully assess.

‘‘We [fruit growers] only have one chance to make our money, and that’s when we pick and sell our fruit,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s devastating, that’s for sure.

A minimum of 50 per cent of the crop has been destroyed in the region. For some [orchardists] it’s closer to 80 to 100 per cent.’’

He said depending on the crop, the damage could linger into next season’s growth. In his own apple orchard, leaves had been shredded and new growth sections damaged.

Johny O’Donnell, of Project Kōkiri, the combined Nelson Tasman regional Covid-19 economic recovery project, said he had been checking in with orchardists around the region.

He said it was hard to give a bigpicture outlook as the storm had hit properties seemingly at random. ‘‘Our heart goes out to the growers – it’s been a challenging year for all of us and they’ve carried us through it,’’ he said.

‘‘What we’ve heard is lower Moutere, Motueka and Riwaka are pretty much devastated.’’

He said this, coming on the tailend of a ‘‘really economically challenging year’’, was a blow for the region. ‘‘It proves why we can’t be complacent,’’ he said.

Motueka community board chairman Brent Maru said he was ‘‘born and bred’’ in Motueka and had never seen anything like the hailstorm. ‘‘That intensity and duration ... It was surreal.’’

Maru said stories from those seriously affected were ‘‘just heartbreaking’’.

‘‘The offers of help from our community to people affected is strong. Goodbye 2020, I say.’’