Taranaki’s Disaster Welfare and Support Team leader reflects on responding to Cyclone Gabrielle, recruiting new team members, and making a home in Aotearoa.

Many of the homes in the small Hawke’s Bay community of Waiohiki have stayed in the same family for generations. Kiriana Laison is the fourth generation of her family to live in her home – her children are the fifth. The night flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle arrived, Kiriana was worried she had not only lost her home but her entire community – and her family. 

Update 15: A year after Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in early 2023 we’ve committed the entire New Zealand Disaster Fund to helping people and communities affected.

We met up with Hend Selim and Laila Abd El Gawad, just two of more than 1,000 Home Bundles recipients who have already received their delivery, to hear their story about the severe weather events of 2023.

It’s pretty hard to mobilise the power of humanity without human beings. That’s why every year we recognise the service of our people through national honours and awards.