A slip at Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle claimed the lives of two firefighters. Photo / George Heard
A slip at Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle claimed the lives of two firefighters. Photo / George Heard
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A police officer who comforted critically ill Muriwai fireman Craig Stevens by holding his hand as colleagues tried to dig him from the landslide rubble will be nominated for a police bravery award.
Muriwai firefighters Dave van Zwanenberg (left) and Craig Stevens died in a landslide while helping at a damaged house in Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle.
Laurenson said another female officer saved a pensioner from certain death at the property next door, grabbing the occupant a minute before her place went crashing down to the road below.
The officer said while he did not want to take away from the brave actions of firefighters, search and rescue teams and individual community members, he also wanted to recognise his officers who went above and beyond on the night last February during Cyclone Gabrielle.
This is the first time details of what police encountered at Muriwai have been revealed.
Laurenson, officer in charge of North-West Auckland, which includes the Muriwai region, said police knew from the Auckland Anniversary flooding they needed to be on high alert.
“Leading up to Gabrielle, I was particularly nervous because what happened on Auckland Anniversary. We had no idea just how bad Gabrielle might be,” he said.
“That night a few staff worked the day shift and around 10pm we started to get word that things were horrific. One officer, who is also a volunteer fireman, was getting messages through a different portal that things were going poorly.
“Two of the guys from Kumeū station about 15km from Muriwai headed there and they quickly realised just how horrific it was, and described it as biblically bad by the time they arrived at Motara Rd, where Dave and Craig had been caught in the slip.
Inspector Matthew Laurenson (inset) says he wants to recognise his officers who went above on the night last February during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / George Heard
“Those two arrived to pitch blackness, with wind howling, the rain is horizontal and you can’t see.
“The roof of a house was in the middle of the road. One of our guys, who is a trained firefighter to a high level, started searching for the two who were trapped under the rubble.”
The police officer, who is also a highly trained firefighter, had trained both Stevens and van Zwanenberg.
“Soon after my guys started searching, another five police officers arrived along with some extra fire crew started to hear other slips in the area. They couldn’t see it because it was pitch black,” Laurenson said.
“They heard a rumble like thunder and while looking through the rubble, one of my guys found Craig. He was still semi-conscious and the officer cleared debris from Craig’s face so he could see, and held his hand for the duration of the night, while everyone was trying to dig him out.
“At one point during this, there was a huge slip just north of where they were close by and they could hear it. Everybody bailed out, except for the guy holding Craig’s hand who put his body over him to cover him.
“Craig and my guy were communicating, just that physical touch provided comfort to Craig I hope.
‘The bravest thing I have heard of’ - Inspector Matthew Laurenson
“That in my 25 years of policing is probably the bravest thing I have heard of. It was in the darkness and my guy had no idea what was going on but the slip went just north of where they were and everyone came back and more control of events started to occur and safe spots were set up for members of the community.
“There was courageous, courageous work by police, but that doesn’t take away from the many acts of heroism by everyone.
“There were two other officers next to where Craig and Dave were buried in the rubble and they were clearing people from addresses, and one officer got a lady off her front porch less than a minute before her entire house was swept down the bank, wiping out a campsite opposite.”
Laurenson said there were several near-misses and it was a miracle more people did not die that night.
“Obviously, no one should have died, but it was a miracle we didn’t have more fatalities.”
Laurenson held several debriefs with his team and many had not yet dealt with this appropriately, “which Is why I am speaking for the group”.
“Many of my guys started work on the morning of the 13th of February and didn’t get him until 14th. They had worked their socks off, but that is what they train for and I am so proud of them.
“I went the next day to the scene and even then it was hard to comprehend what these guys were going through. It was a shambles.”
While some officers who were at Muriwai that night have been commended internally, special mentions have gone to a police panel for higher recognition and bravery awards.
“They were as a team and while one person might have been doing a certain task, everyone was there together and it is hard to single individuals out but in putting this material together, I have individualised actions of some,” Laurenson said.
Joseph Los’e joined is an award-winning journalist and joined NZME in 2022 as kaupapa Māori editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.
