I flew from climate devastation in Navajo Nation to relocation in East Cape. NZ needs five things now – Kiri Allan

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Opinion by

Kiri Allan

Former Labour Party Minister·NZ Herald·

4 Nov, 2026 01:00 AM7 mins to read

Kiri Allan is a former Labour Party Minister who held the portfolios of Justice, Regional Development, Conservation and Emergency Management. She was the lead minister for the Cyclone Gabrielle response in Tairāwhiti. She is the founder of renewable energy company Four Directions Fund and runs KLA consultancy firm.

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Kiri Allan, pictured when she was the Minister for Emergency Management and the East Coast MP visiting Tokomaru Bay and Waipiro Bay with Tokomaru Bay Constable Toa Saulala to assess damage.

Last week, I stood on the Navajo Nation while the San Juan River rose to a level that broke a record held since 1909. Communities were cut off and roads and infrastructure were destroyed. The elders I spoke to had never seen floods like it in the desert.

Driving from