Video: Napier comes together a year on from devastating cyclone
Flanked by a Navy vessel off Napier's coast, hundreds of people gathered together at the Soundshell to commemorate the first anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Eleven people - eight in Hawke's Bay - died as a result of the unprecedented destruction brought by Cyclone Gabrielle on February 14, 2023.
Nelson Park School pupils shared a moving waiata written specifically in commemoration of the cyclone.
Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise read out the names of those who tragically lost their lives, which was followed by a minute’s silence at midday.
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.
"Cyclone Gabrielle's toll was high," Wise said. "For some, it was unimaginably high."
"The toll included life itself. We hold them in our hearts with gratitude for who they are and who they were, not as a sign of loss, but as a memory of the goodness, the tenacity, and the love that's within each of us."
Even after a year, Wise acknowledged how difficult it is to talk about some of the moments directly after Cyclone Gabrielle.
"To be honest, the night before, we knew wind and rain was heading towards us, but we had no idea what they were going to bring with them. In some ways, we weren't ready.
"As individuals, neighbourhoods, whānau, families, communities, we weren't ready. And so the moments after the cyclone, when our lives were turned upside down, when lives were lost, livelihoods lost, we acted in ways that were deeply human.
"Many of our actions were not written in the plans or programs of work. What people did for each other came from somewhere deep inside, from a place that connected each of us to one another, to our family, our friends, our workmates, our neighbours, and to neighbours we hadn't even met yet."
Hawke's Bay Regional Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby also spoke.
"Our hearts go out to the whānau who lost loved ones, to those communities who have lost homes and livelihoods, and to those still recovering today. 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 again."
Ormsby recalled the way her community of Waiohiki was severely impacted, including he own whare and the whare of her immediate whānau.
"However, from the moment of the floodwaters receding, hundreds upon hundreds of people stood beside us, shovelling mud, providing kai and rebuilding us back better and stronger. This is kotahitanga, working together as one. Kotahitanga of spirit has served us in the past year and will continue to serve us into the future."
