CYCLONE GABRIELLE LEFT MORE THAN PHYSICAL DEVASTATION IN ITS WAKE

Cyclone Gabrielle left more than physical devastation in its wake. It also prompted difficult legal questions about risk, responsibility, and the limits of local authority liability.

Frana Divich writes about the case Tangoio Developments Ltd v Hastings District Council [2025] NZHC 3817, where the High Court was asked to determine whether two councils could be held liable in negligence and for breach of statutory duty after a coastal subdivision became, in practical terms, unbuildable following the cyclone.