Farmer's young son shows devastation of Hawke’s Bay drought through photos - 'The struggle is real'

Even Selby Jowsey’s teacher had no idea how bad things were.

The 12-year-old’s family are farmers near Hastings and have been badly affected by the region’s drought.

It wasn’t until his teacher saw a series of photos he had taken in recent weeks, that she realised.

Scientists forecast continuing dry weather for the drought-stricken regions.

“She said his photos have changed her image of how it’s all working and how much we're struggling,” Selby mum, Tatum, told 1 NEWS.

Selby takes the snaps on an iPhone, and they have been drawing plenty of attention.

Selby says while that is “pretty cool”, he wants to show just how dry the area is.

Hawke’s Bay’s been suffering a long and severe drought, with the Regional Council saying it had “grave concerns” for farmers earlier this week.

Tatum Jowsey can’t help but get emotional when talking about their own struggles, although she says she wants to stay strong.

“No farmer likes to see their stock starving and yeah, that’s the real hard thing.

“We do it because we love it.”

She says they haven’t been able to employ as many workers as normal, and farmers need more Government help.

“The struggle is real, it’s not just us, but it’s everyone.”

While Selby has a simple message for anyone struggling.

“Keep being strong.”

It's a wish for those doing it just as tough as his family.

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