February 23, 2023
Support from taurahere flowing into Tairāwhiti
Tairāwhiti councillor and Waiapū civil defence member Rawinia Parata says the support received has been tremendous as the region starts to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.
The cyclone was the fourth state of emergency in 18 months and made many roads unusable, with Tokomaru Bay still cut off north and south.
“Uawa I think got hit the hardest but we are definitely feeling the support from our taurahere and our whānau up in Auckland. Lots of supplies have arrived in Ruatōria. We’ve distributed them to the other communities and the outpouring of love has meant so much to us, to keep on going and to be positive going forward,” Ms Parata says.
She says Hato Hone St Johns stood out in the emergency response, keeping ambulance bases across Tairāwhiti well stocked and ensuring patients could be airlifted to Gisborne and Waikato hospitals when needed.