Cyclone Gabrielle’s second anniversary: Te Karaka’s recovery so far

Main picture: Te Karaka Area School principal Renae Savage stands outside her school the week of Cyclone Gabrielle. Inset: (Back) Pimia Wehi, Owen Roberts, Kaeyson Roberts, Dawn Jasmine Albert, Renae Savage. Front: Jahvarn Ruru and Riley Grayndler. Photo / James Pocock

Flood preparedness has become part of Te Karaka Area School’s curriculum - and the community is “ready to go” should a similar emergency to Cyclone Gabrielle strike.

Te Karaka was one of the hardest hit areas in Te Tairāwhiti during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Homes and marae were smashed and 64-year-old local farmer John Coates died in the floodwaters that engulfed his home early that Tuesday morning.

Across the region, more than 30 red stickers and about 200 yellow stickers were issued to homes hit, bridges were knocked out and the Gisborne water supply was critically damaged in the cyclone.

Te Karaka volunteer emergency response group Mahaki Tiaki Tangata response team lead Pimia Wehi says a lot has changed for the community since the cyclone two years ago.

A lot of work has been done but there is still plenty more recovery work left, she says.

Te Karaka recovery co-lead Pimia Wehi, at the Mahaki Tiaki Tangata evacuation centre. Photo / James Pocock

“We are trying to get back to as normal as we can,” Wehi told the Gisborne Herald.

She said the cyclone’s anniversary marked the start of the wet period every year for her community.

“Everyone in our community were left with trauma, even families that didn’t have to move out of their homes.”

“Whether or not you lost a cat or anything, everyone was traumatised in some way.”

Local iwi Te Aitanga a Mahaki supports volunteer group Mahaki Tiaki Tangata.

Mahaki Tiaki Tangata set up an emergency hub after the cyclone so that, in future emergencies, residents do not have to head to the hills as they did during Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We are really grateful to our iwi that we’ve got our own evacuation point set up now, which was fully funded by our iwi,” she said.

“We’re ready to go in another rain event.”

The emergency hub was opened by the Governor-General last year, Te Karaka started a flood protection steering group and funding was secured for flood resilience upgrades to Nesbit’s Dip, part of the route in and out of town that could trap people in the area during flood events.

“We’ve probably had nearly every iwi visit us in the last two years about how did we do this and what have we got in place now,” Wehi said.

“Right up to two weeks ago, we are still getting people coming in to see what our plan is and how we got to the space we are at.”

Wehi said the Red Cross came in and helped train about 30 people in psychological first aid so they could help with the mental impact of crises.

“A crisis is a crisis, but there have been some golden nuggets that have come out of the last two years.”

“Number one would have to be how close-knit our community has become.”

“Anything, when the call comes out the community will come.”

Te Karaka Area School was the central support stop-off for the community during the cyclone and its aftermath, offering shelters, showers, food, water and welfare to people from Matawai to Kaitaratahi Bridge.

School principal Renae Savage said the time since the cyclone had been “a blur” and there was lingering anxiety among students and the community.

“It’s sort of an eerie feeling,” Savage said.

“But with all of the support that has come with the amazing iwi effort to look after them and our preparedness, we’ve been able to, as a school, build resilience in the students with all of those resources that have come.”

She said school whānau asked for resilience to natural disasters to become a part of the school curriculum after Cyclone Gabrielle, so they had focussed on it ever since.

“From the data and feedback from ākonga, they feel a lot more equipped and knowledgable.”

She said the community was “still in mourning” because the two local marae, Takipu and Rangatira marae, were still inaccessible.

“There are plans to have them rebuilt, but we really are still feeling the loss of those facilities without them available to us to, naturally, return and take our ākonga just down the road,” she said.

“In some respects, our school has remained as that kind of meeting place and marae space for a lot of community events.”

She said the priority for her was still wellness.

“We are very lucky to have, as a school community, people who have maintained their support and stayed close.”

She said this year was the best and most settled start they have had in a while since disruption from the Covid pandemic and the cyclone.

“In terms of where we have got to, we have had the best start to the year, the most settled, classrooms are in motion and students are keen and eager to learn.”

There are no specific commemorations of Cyclone Gabrielle planned in Te Karaka this year.

But she asked everyone celebrating Valentine’s Day this week to spare a thought for everyone across the entire country who was affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“It is a day of love, so share the love with those who will still be suffering from the events of February 14, 2023.”