21 Feb 2023

Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson

From Nine To Noon, 11:10 am on 21 February 2023
A flooded orchard and apples strewn over the road just outside Hastings.

A flooded orchard and apples strewn over the road just outside Hastings. Photo: RNZ // Angus Dreaver

Rebecca talks about the difficult task of assessing the economic damage of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The damage to homes, infrastructure and agriculture is significant, and will lead to a drop in economic activity as people are stuck at home, unable to open their business or have crops under water that can't be harvested and sold.

There is also an immediate localised impact, particularly in those hardest hit areas like the Hawke's Bay, which relies heavily on agriculture and particularly horticulture, to underpin its economy.

Also, Rebecca talks to Susie about whether talk about an AirBnB Bust is overdone.