Karakia and waiata rang out, bells tolled, and silence was kept on Wednesday as thousands donned the Hawke’s Bay colours of black and white to commemorate the first anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle across the region.
Eight people in the region died as a result of the unprecedented destruction on February 14, 2023, with thousands left homeless, without power, and still shovelling silt to this day.
For many, emotions were still raw on Wednesday. Anger, grief, sadness and loss were still very much at play; however, the day also saw a chance for people to share hope and stories of heroism and bravery.
“Our hearts go out to those whānau who lost loved ones, to those communities who have lost homes and livelihoods, and to those still recovering,” Hawke’s Bay Regional Council chairwoman Hinewai Ormsby, who also lost her home in the cyclone, said.
“What gives me hope is the aroha, the manaaki, and the wairua of our people to respond and get on with putting us back together.”
The flood-devastated settlement of Ōmāhu on the outskirts of Hastings marked the occasion first in the morning with a heartfelt karakia and kai ceremony of remembrance at the local marae.
Locals sat together in solidarity, listening intently to speakers as they recalled their experiences of Gabrielle.
“All that devastation, and one thing I noticed most was we became a family and spoke like the old days,” a speaker said, recounting how she would come to the marae every day during the cyclone to be with everyone and share meals and stories.
Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber attended and spoke of “the biggest and greatest disaster to hit this generation” while giving thanks to the tipuna of the land.
“It’s all about our people, and the marae is the glue that holds it together,” he said.
The event was wrapped up with a waiata and the sound of hope rang out across the grounds.
In northern Hawke’s Bay, the isolated Wairoa region also came together for a special morning hīkoi that led through some of Wairoa’s worst-hit areas.
More than 250 Wairoa locals completed a 1.8km memorial hīkoi from the A&P Showgrounds to Memorial Park/Tapuae Grounds from 6am.
RNZ reported that a taonga created from parts of homes devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle was gifted to the Wairoa District Council, and hundreds shared kai, sang and reflected on the past year.
“I’m here to pay my respects. Because what happened was a tragedy,” local Iehu Taylor told RNZ, saying it was good to see so many people out in the town.
“Everyone came together, it was actually cool seeing the whole town come into one and just go around helping everyone else that got affected,” Wairoa teenager Amber Cook said.
In Central Hawke’s Bay, which also saw extreme losses for rural communities, small community services went ahead in both Pōrangahau and Waipawa.
As the minute’s silence fell over those gathered at Waipawa Primary School, all that could be heard was the Waipawa War Memorial Clock, chiming noon as it does every day, including the day that was being commemorated, February 14, 2023.
Members of the community, council, emergency services and school representatives sat together to remember the day Cyclone Gabrielle hit Central Hawke’s Bay, as speakers stood to talk of not only the damaging day but the resilience, strength, community spirit and the helpers - so many helpers - who pulled the town through and continue to do so.
The speeches were full of gratitude, from a community that still seems shocked by what they suffered and by how many stepped up to make a difference.
The occasion was marked by the planting of a kōwhai tree, in a grassy berm that was, on February 14 of last year, under a metre of swirling brown floodwater.
”When the sun came out at 8.30am we breathed sighs of relief, thinking the worst was over. But it wasn’t,” Central Hawke’s Bay councillor Kate Taylor recalled of that day.
“Walls of water were gathering strength. We had no data, no comms, we were blind. The cellphone network was down, 111 was overloaded. There was no help coming. I don’t need to tell those gathered here of the devastation. You lived through it.
“Today, we acknowledge the deep losses felt by those all over the district. Everyone knows someone, everyone helped someone, it was by locals for locals all over Tamatea Central Hawke’s Bay.”
Paul Jamieson, Waipawa School principal, was visibly emotional as he recalled being at home and checking the school’s cameras and seeing a “river” come down Harker St.
“It walloped into the school. I have to thank the old buggers that built it, they knew something.
“The next day about 300 people turned up and mucked in. I get emotional, I didn’t expect that. These people worked hard, and we opened on the Monday.”
In stark contrast to a year ago, hundreds gathered to pay their respects at Napier’s Sound Shell on a clear, hot summer’s day.
The service, which took on a sombre yet hopeful tone, was to remember the enormous losses suffered by many in the community and also honour the many people who helped in the recovery.
Nelson Park School pupils shared a moving waiata written specifically in commemoration of the cyclone.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise read out the names of all 11 cyclone victims across the country who tragically lost their lives, which was followed by a minute’s silence at midday.
“Time does take away some of the pain that adversity brings, but let’s make sure that time does not take away those connections that were built in the days after the cyclone,” she said.
A Navy vessel just off Napier’s coast sounded a loud horn once the minute’s silence concluded in a gesture to those who died and their families.
The service also featured the ringing of the Veronica bell - a special tribute usually reserved for honouring the lives lost in the 1931 Napier earthquake.
Members of the public were also invited to lay rocks in a showing of solidarity and strength - with hundreds going forward to show their respects.
In Hastings, Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst held back tears as she spoke of the heartbreak and pain the region faced.
Solemnity and celebration marked the first anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle in Hastings, with several hundred rank-and-file Hawke’s Bay folk joining central and local government representatives, iwi and church leaders to pay respects to those lost in the cyclone and the many others still trying to recover.
Hazlehurst twice broke down during her speech in Civic Square, while rural community spokeswoman Isabelle Crawshaw was tearful throughout much of an emotional address to the crowd. Wreaths were also laid in commemoration.
The formalities finished with a commitment from Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell that the Government will ensure Hawke’s Bay is rebuilt.
Other community events that took place later in the night included a Te Whatu Ora memorial service at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, a Community Together event at the Bay View Hotel, a community evening at the Puketapu Pub, a Community Together event at Valley D Vine in Esk Valley and services in Porangahau and Waipawa.
For more details on other official events, including some over the weekend, go to www.hawkesbaytogether.co.nz
