Cyclone Gabrielle: Gisborne helpers recognised at awards ceremony

6:00 pm on 15 February 2024

The cleanup continues in Te Karaka, a settlement inland from Gisborne, in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The clean-up in Te Karaka, a settlement inland from Gisborne, after Cyclone Gabrielle on 20 February last year. Photo: RNZ / Sam Rillstone

The good deeds of Gisborne residents during and after Cyclone Gabrielle are being recognised at an awards ceremony this evening.

Many of the people who stood up to help were affected by the cyclone themselves, putting their own needs aside to focus on others.

Among the people nominated for individual recognition are a pilot who redirected her twin-engine plane from its regular flights to reconnect families, a handful of community nurses, and a woman in Te Karaka who turned her carport into a temporary classroom.

Organisation awards

Fergusson Drive residents - During a distressing time, everyone chipped in and helped each other with the clean-up.

FirstLight Network, formally Eastland Network - Nominated by their former general manager, the team were responsible for restoration of power to the entire region, "having only just finished restoration following the last storm and had in the past 18 months had to deal with 7 other events".

Gisborne Boys' High School - Many of the students got out into the community, helping to clean up silt and damaged properties.

Gisborne Canoe and Tramping Club - Gillian Ward cycled to check on club members most likely affected by the storm, and then organised working bees to dig silt from affected properties. One nominator wrote: "She continues checking us out almost a year on."

Gisborne East Coast Multiple Sclerosis Society - Judy Livingston and Karen Whitehead checked on members, and the organisation provided generators, food and petrol vouchers and counselling.

Gisborne Fire Brigade - Helped people 24/7 in unbearable weather and all types of dangers. "They were over run but never gave in," their nominator wrote.

Gisborne Host Lions Club and Wainui Lions Club - The clubs joined together to support the community, providing clothing, blankets, sheets and baby clothes, generators, appliances and manual labour tools across the region. The nominator says this continues a year on.

House of Breakthrough church - The church operated as an evacutaion centre, with volunteers who supported evacuated whānau and according to their nominater, went "over and above the call of duty".

Leaderbrand - With communications down, general manager Richard Burke reached out via satellite phone to tell the out-of-region leadership teams of a neighbouring business their staff were safe, and provided clean water by lending out their filtration system.

Manaaki Matakaoa - Sheena Luke worked tirelessly to bring radios, active network SIM cards and Starlinks, food, generators and petrol. Now, as the organisation's poutoko, her team does Healthy Home checks, property maintenance and rubbish pick-ups.

Mangatū Marae - Supported Civil Defence during the storm, allowing coordinator Sally Cale to use the marae as a hub, as well as to house and feed displaced people. In her nomination, Cale wrote: "I do recommend their fried bread with jam!"

Tairāwhiti Multicultural Council - Helped more than 150 families with food and medicine, found accommodation for three families, including two where women and children were at risk of harm, and supplied water pumps to help with the clean-up.

Three Rivers Medical - The practice stayed open every day, saying they were the only practice to do so. Many of the team lost everything, but put patients and whanau first and turned up to work every day.

Waikohu Civil Defence - Nicky-Marie Kohere-Smiler's use of social media to keep the community informed was "invaluable", her nominator wrote. "Her concise and clear information, in a highly stressful environment, was vital to the cleanup, the volunteer effort and the community as a whole."

Individual awards