Hawke's Bay Horticultural Sector: Economic Recovery Following Cyclone Gabrielle

Hawke's Bay recently suffered from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle, the worst storm to hit New Zealand (NZ) this century. The cyclone triggered a national state of emergency for only the third time in NZ's history and caused loss of life, damage to key infrastructure and significant impact to several sectors in the region, including the c.$1.2 billion horticultural industry.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) undertook this social impact project to rapidly develop the evidence base and recommendations for the horticulture industry to support discussions with government and private sector stakeholders (e.g., banks, insurers).

These materials sit separate to but support more specific proposals for government assistance, focusing on BCG's initial assessment of the cyclone’s economic impact on the Hawke’s Bay horticultural sector, and the possible policy and funding levers to support a long-term target state vision to “grow back better”.

This report synthesises BCG’s findings and recommendations following this six-week engagement with the sponsorship of Rockit Global Limited (Rockit) and the support of a wide range of industry stakeholders.