Hawke's Bay and East Coast councils say they can't afford to fix the cyclone-damaged roading networks in their regions.

Councils in cyclone-hit regions staring down a decade-long roading recovery say they simply cannot afford it.

Emphasis mine.

The duration of the remedial works is the problem more than the cost.

If it takes a decade to recover from an event that is likely to reoccurr more frequently then it’s a losing game.

It’s a shame that local and central government in NZ just can’t/won’t maintain infrastructure.