Putorino farmer: stock needs to be moved within a month

Around 150 residents from the isolated Hawke's Bay region around Tutira and Putorino met last night to put their heads together and figure out how on earth they're going to reunite with the rest of the world. A washed out bridge to the north and a huge slip to the south means the area spanning some 25km of State Highway 2 north of Napier is almost completely cut off, with a goat track and helicopters the only way in or out. Yesterday, residents confined to the area headed to the sports centre in Putorino to meet with national and local authorities, utility operators and farming organisations. Putorino farmer and rural firefighter Ben Mackintosh told our producer Matthew Theunissen that the Army cooked them a BBQ with meat provided from Beef + Lamb New Zealand.