Cyclone Gabrielle: Colleagues pay tribute to fallen Muriwai firefighter Craig Stevens

Colleagues have paid tribute to their fallen mates who died after a landslide during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Muriwai firefighter Craig Stevens died in hospital last night after he was critically injured on Monday when a house fell in a slip. His colleague Dave van Zwanenberg was trapped in the wreckage and was found dead on Wednesday.

Fire and Emergency chief executive Kerry Gregory said in a press conference this afternoon that it was with a “heavy heart” that they received the news that Stevens had died.

He died surrounded by his loved ones after fighting valiantly to the end.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Craig’s family, and with the family of his firefighter friend Dave van Zwanenberg... This tragic incident has been a heavy blow for the two families, their friends, colleagues in the Muriwai Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Muriwai community and it touches all of us, not just in the Fire and Emergency NZ whanau, but emergency services internationally and all New Zealanders.”

Muriwai firefighter Craig Stevens. Photo / Supplied

He said it was an awful reminder of the risks firefighters and those involved in emergency response were exposed to every day while protecting and supporting others.

“I have received messages of condolences for the tragic loss of our firefighters from far and wide and I endorse the words of our Minister Barbara Edmonds in that we thank the families for sharing their loved ones with all New Zealanders and we are indebted to them.

“Craig and Dave died helping others, working with their teammates for the benefit of their community. As we mourn them both, we will think of them with pride.”

He wished to acknowledge everybody affected by the events of this week across the motu, particularly those who had lost homes, communities and loved ones.

It was a time where there was still uncertainty for many about what the immediate future held, he said.

Volunteer firefighter Dave van Zwananberg died after being buried under a landslide in Muriwai. Photo / Supplied

Friends have set up a Givealittle for Stevens, to help support his wife Lucy and children Kauri, 6, and Tai, 4.

“I met ‘Rock n Roll Craig’ when he moved to Oxford, aged 16,” friend Alex Leech said.

“We went to many skateparks, saw bands, and listened to lots of music.

“I’m not really sure if he was like my son or my brother, but he was always my guide and mentor.

“He grabbed life with both hands and shook it into submission, no matter what the situation,” he said in a social media tribute.

Stevens had said to him that his mum told him to walk into any room like he owned the place, and “he sure did do that”, Leech said.

“Well stand aside Jesus, there’s a new guy in charge of heaven now.”

Stevens had recently been featured in DIG BMX magazine.

The publication said it was sad to hear the news.

”Sending our love and condolences to his friends and family,” it wrote on social media.

How it unfolded

The Herald understands van Zwanenberg and Stevens were trying to dig a trench behind a woman’s home in Motutara Rd on Monday night to divert water after being called to the property due to flooding.

As the pair worked, a giant slab of the hillside above them gave way - inundating the property with a mountain of sodden mud and debris.

Stevens was rescued and taken to the hospital in critical condition. The body of van Zwanenberg was pulled from the wreckage two days later.

Van Zwanenberg’s widow Amy van Zwanenberg said her family was utterly devastated by the sudden loss of her extraordinary husband.

FENZ CEO Kerry Gregory.

She called him “the cornerstone of our lives”.

“First and foremost, a family man, Dave was dedicated to spending quality time with his children and building a life to nurture their growth,” she said yesterday.

“We decided that Muriwai and its beautiful community was the perfect place for this.

“Monday night started out as just another occasion where Dave made sure we were settled and safe at home and headed out to join the fire brigade and help his community.

“Reliability and dependability were his core values, whatever the weather.”

The house was destroyed in a landslide killing two volunteer firefighters in Muriwai. Photo / Newshub

She said her late husband was blessed with the unique abilities, so few possess, to not only survive but thrive in extreme environments and circumstances, performing complex tasks and caring for others calmly under pressure.

“He used this multifaceted skill set in his profession as a veterinarian, where so many have benefited from his care and in his personal pursuits as a pilot, kite surfer and ultra-marathon runner. But he also loved a good book on the deck.

“Dave will be remembered for his good humour, his authentic care, his astronomic intelligence and supreme competence at pretty much anything he turned his hand to!”

Amy said she visited the site where her husband died yesterday and spoke with those who were there on the night.

“Yesterday I was able to see the search site and speak to some of those who had been involved in his rescue and recovery.

“It grew a new depth to my gratitude for the courageous crews who had continued to search for my husband under absolutely atrocious conditions and threats to their own safety.

“It was palpable that they had been searching for one of their own, and they devoted themselves to that impossible task with the fervour one does for their own family.”

She said she was deeply grateful to Urban Search and Rescue, the NZ Police and all the fire and emergency crews involved, but especially to Dave’s brigade, who had been so deeply affected by the tragedy.

In her first statement since her husband’s death, she said she wanted to publicly thank friends who had immediately come to her family’s aid and supported them, “caring for us emotionally and practically and wrapping us in love through this horrendous time”.

“You give me the strength to continue to be the mum I need to be, to help Dave’s beautiful children thrive despite this pain, and to be the legacy that he would be most proud of.”