Larry Williams Drive

Wairoa's Mayor is demanding an apology from the Hawke's Bay Regional Council after last week's flooding. The bill is expected to top $40 million, with more than 100 properties significantly damaged. The district is still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle last year, and ratepayers are already facing a 20 percent rates rise. Mayor Craig Little says the council hasn't been able to pinpoint what went wrong. "They treat us like we're a small population, yet we're 30 percent of the land area of Hawke's Bay, 60 percent of the water mass - they do other things down there and they don't do it here." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.