Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Napier mayoral column: Kirsten Wise acknowledges all who helped during and after Cyclone Gabrielle

By Kirsten Wise
Napier Courier·
26 Sep, 2023 02:06 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise.

OPINION

We recently thanked some of the people who helped during and after the events of the February 14, 2023 cyclone with the Cyclone Gabrielle Recognition Awards.

Nominations came from the community, and it was humbling to be there on the awards night and hear the stories of what happened, and the heroism and help that came in many forms from so many people.

I want to acknowledge all the people who have helped, from those who risked their own lives saving others to those who cooked and cleaned, those who shovelled silt and cleared up properties, and those who provided a safe place to go for those who were displaced.

A huge thank you too to everyone who donated to the Napier Mayoral Relief Fund.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Through the fund, we have been able to help the helpers. As much as elbow grease and a positive attitude is what has got us through, pūtea [money] is also vital to enable people and organisations to get back on their feet.

Thank you to every individual, every business, every school group, every organisation, known and anonymous, from Raumati Beach School to the Napier RSA, and all the 100 donors in between.

Whether it was $50 or $5000, every person - and every cent - matters and has made a difference to our community.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

We’ve been supported, cared for, fed, fuelled up, tooled-up, and given some fun and entertainment and some practical help thanks to the Mayoral Relief Fund.

The grant has been used for things like diesel for machinery utilised during the clean-up, meals and accommodation for helpers, new CCTV and new GPS units, events for our most impacted communities, a brand-new basketball court in Petane, and specific grants for the homeowners and tenants of red and yellow-stickered properties.

Cyclone Gabrielle had a big impact on our region. What’s had an even bigger impact is the power of people to get behind those in need, give a little or a lot, and help out wherever they can.

Thank you for providing the resources needed to help Napier get through this challenging time.

In whichever form it takes - from financial giving to volunteering your time - your generosity, selflessness and belief in our people make me very proud to be part of this community.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay TodayUpdated

Ute flips onto beach in Hawke's Bay

09 Jul 02:48 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Very efficient': Fine-sweeper car snaps more than 5000 parking violations in five months

09 Jul 02:05 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Coffee instead of cuffs: Sergeant quits police to open Napier business

09 Jul 12:54 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Ute flips onto beach in Hawke's Bay

Ute flips onto beach in Hawke's Bay

09 Jul 02:48 AM

Bollards were smashed near the community hall and playground.

'Very efficient': Fine-sweeper car snaps more than 5000 parking violations in five months

'Very efficient': Fine-sweeper car snaps more than 5000 parking violations in five months

09 Jul 02:05 AM
Coffee instead of cuffs: Sergeant quits police to open Napier business

Coffee instead of cuffs: Sergeant quits police to open Napier business

09 Jul 12:54 AM
Comedic brilliance in Theatre Hawke’s Bay’s The Vicar of Dibley

Comedic brilliance in Theatre Hawke’s Bay’s The Vicar of Dibley

09 Jul 12:04 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP