It’s been one week since Cyclone Gabrielle hit Tairāwhiti and the devastation is still very evident.
In the small township of Te Karaka, just outside Gisborne, more than 200 volunteers gathered at the local rugby club to help with the overwhelming task of cleaning up.
Tahi Hiroki, project manager for Mahaki Mahinga Kai, is in charge of co-ordinating the volunteers.
“The main job in Te Karaka is going around the houses and scooping soot off the properties. So we’re sending teams out as far as Lavenham Rd and as far back as Whatatutu and Puha,” he said.
Hiroki said the clean-up crew was just a small part of the team of volunteers who have been helping over the week.
Local businesses were also among the clean-up crews with teams from Gisborne Police, Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae, Māhaki Mahinga Kai, Whaia Titirangi, and Port Eastland
Gisborne local Katie Wallace had seen the devastation on the news and decided to come down and lend a hand.
“We have been moving furniture and clearing out the culverts as there is rain on the way later in the week,” she said.
Workers from Riversun Nursery took time out of their day to help remove soot, mud and debris from houses and buildings in Whatatutu.
Riversun Nursery supervisor Sharvene Vertongen said there was a discussion among the workers about helping out in Te Karaka.
“All of our crew wanted to get out and amongst the community as it was quite tragic in Te Karaka and Whatatutu,” Vertongen said.
Whatatutu resident Tipi Ruru was glad to see so many helping to clear around his residence and Te Wainui Marae.
“They have made it into a short working bee and it’s good to see them down here,” he said.
Riversun Nursery field operation supervisor Pene Harrison is also a resident of Te Karaka. She was happy to pitch in after many volunteers had helped clean up her own home.
“I wanted to come out because I had massive support on Saturday in Te Karaka, so just want to give it back to the community as well.”
Around 30 members from Gisborne’s Destiny Church and another 10 from their Whakatāne congregation turned up to lend a hand over the weekend and were there again on Monday helping clear houses in Puha.
Pastor Andre Nicholas of Destiny Church Whakatāne had travelled from Te Puke to bring kai boxes, aroha and a cash donation for the whānau in Te Karaka.
Puha resident Web Tu was very thankful for the church’s work on his property.
“We really appreciate all the whānau that come down from Destiny Church and all the other volunteers that came and helped. We wouldn’t have been able to do it by ourselves,” Tu said.
Many other volunteers turned up of their own accord, spending their day cooking to feed all the volunteers.
Pegasus II Fishing Limited donated kai and set up on Branson Rd, cooking all day for volunteers.
Hear4U director Krissy Mackintosh volunteered at the food tent and helped out with mental health where needed.
Internet and phone services have mostly been restored in Tairāwhiti but Mayor Rehette Stolz is urging locals to continue conserving water, as levels remain critically low.
If you would like to help out with flood clean-up in Tairāwhiti, report to the Gisborne District Council office in Fitzherbert St at 10am each morning.
To keep up to date with information on Gisborne’s flood relief go to the Tairāwhiti Civil Defence Facebook page.
