An Esk Valley family who lost their 2-year-old daughter during Cyclone Gabrielle have reacted to a Government report into the emergency response during last year’s catastrophic North Island storms.
The Government inquiry revealed New Zealand’s emergency management system exhibited “significant shortcomings” and shed light on critical gaps and deficiencies.
The family of 2-year-old Ivy Collins, who was killed during the cyclone, now find themselves confronted with the sobering realities exposed by the inquiry.
When the cyclone hit their Esk Valley home, the Collins’ were engulfed by a torrent of water which resulted in the loss of Ivy. There had been no evacuation notice.
The family experienced a nightmare no parent should ever endure and swam for their lives — doing all they could to reach safe ground.
“I woke up and stepped out of bed to ankle-deep water. Within half an hour, it was at my midriff, and within another 10 minutes, it was up to my shoulders. It wasn’t good enough,” Jack Collins recalled.
Eyes filled with anguish, he expressed the heartbreak that still haunts him at every moment. “It’s heartbreaking. Every time I close my eyes, I see that night. I see what happened. I see it all. It’s torture.”
Reflecting on the upheaval that followed Ivy’s passing, Ella Collins said there had been a handful of days in the last 14 months that felt “normal”.
“Our lives stopped that day, and what we’re in now is something completely different, something completely else.”
The Collins family’s harrowing ordeal illuminated the inadequacies of the existing emergency management system. Overwhelmed and underprepared, it failed to provide the timely alerts and support crucial for survival.
The family’s home, though shattered, still holds precious memories of Ivy. Her nightlight stars shining on the roof are a constant reminder of happier times.
Ella and Jack emphasised the importance of accountability and justice to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
“The property loss was inevitable, but Ivy’s death could have been prevented.”
Ivy is one of 15 people who died during six weeks of devastating weather, a period that stretched New Zealand’s emergency management structures to the brink.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst accepted the failures of the system and emphasised the need for urgent reform.
“Our systems were overwhelmed, and we know that we have to do better. The Government has ditched existing plans and is starting again,” she said.
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell didn’t hold a media conference on the 164-page inquiry but was available for interviews between regional visits in Hamilton.
He highlighted the need to strengthen emergency management legislation and support frontline responders.
“We have got a significant amount of work to do to strengthen the Emergency Management Bill and our systems and processes to make sure that our outstanding emergency management personnel and first responders are actually supported with the purpose legislation,” Mitchell said.
But for the Collins family, restoring ‘faith’ in the system is a long way off.
“I had plenty of faith the first night, but that illusion’s been shattered,” Jack said, echoing the sentiment of many affected by the disaster.
“Ultimately, there has to be accountability for there to be any kind of justice.”
“It’s one thing to say you paid the ultimate price, but what people seem to forget is that you continue to pay that price every single day,” Ella said.
As they continue to grapple with their loss, the North Shore Rd neighbourhood has rallied around the Collins family and is offering support.
The community has made a special beachside bench in memory of Ivy and erected it as a symbol of remembrance.