With slips and broken roads blocking the path between Gisborne and Ruatoria, getting supplies to people up the East Coast has been a problem in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, Air Ruatoria and Ngāti Porou began a partnership, running daily flights between Ruatoria and Gisborne to keep the communities connected.
Rapaea Parata of Ngāti Porou has been involved in the flights and spoke to Kim Hill.
