By One Network Wellington Live

March 23, 2025

Wellington’s got a front-row seat to resilience today, and it’s our Hawke’s Bay cousins who are stealing the show. Two years ago, Cyclone Gabrielle tore through their region—200km north of us—leaving a scar that’s still raw: 11 lives lost, $14.5 billion in damages, and a wine industry battered to its knees. On March 22, 2025, as the capital hums with weekend life, Hawke’s Bay stands tall, piecing itself back together. A Great Wine Capitals post this week nods to their grit—new grape varieties tackling climate woes—but it’s the people, the rallied support, who’ve hauled this place from horrendous ruin to recovery. Here’s who’s made it happen.

February 14, 2023, was a nightmare. Gabrielle dumped 400mm of rain in 24 hours—Hawke’s Bay’s annual average is 800mm—flooding 40,000 homes and wrecking 1,000 hectares of vineyards, a third of the region’s wine backbone. Bridges collapsed—five gone in a blink—isolating towns like Wairoa, where 80% of homes drowned. The Esk Valley copped it worst: 70% of its 300 homes uninhabitable, silt burying lives and livelihoods. Our cousins—175,000 strong—faced $4.5 billion in ag losses alone; 80% of NZ’s apples, pears, and kiwifruit grow here, and 60% took a hit. It was carnage—11 dead, four swept away in floodwaters, their names etched in memory.

But Hawke’s Bay didn’t fold. The rally started fast—locals first. Farmers like John Hart in Esk Valley dug out neighbors with tractors; 200 homes got cleared in a week. Winegrowers—120 outfits strong—salvaged what they could: 70% of the 2023 vintage was harvested pre-storm, but the rest? Ruined. Still, they shared gear—tractors, pumps, hands. By March 2023, 500 volunteers from Hastings and Napier were mucking in, shoveling silt, stacking sandbags. “We’re family,” Hart told a radio crew, voice cracking. That’s our cousins—tough as nails.

Wellington pitched in—$10 million from WCC’s relief fund by May 2023, funneled through Red Cross. Over 300 volunteers crossed the Remutakas—teachers, tradies, baristas—hauling supplies: 50,000 meals, 20,000 water bottles. Wellington City Mission sent 5,000 care packages—blankets, batteries, hope. “They’re our whānau,” said a Mission rep, unloading crates in Napier. Mainfreight, Petone-based, ran 50 trucks north—free—delivering 10,000 tonnes of goods by June 2023. Their drivers slept in cabs; 10,000 packages daily is their norm, but this was heart, not habit.

Government boots hit the ground—$1.5 billion from Budget 2023 for roads, rails, bridges. By March 2025, State Highway 2’s five spans are back—$200 million rebuilt, 80% traffic flowing again. The NZ Defence Force flew 400 sorties in 2023—20,000 people airlifted, 5,000 tonnes of aid dropped. Māori Battalion descendants led choppers into Wairoa; 90% of its 5,000 souls got help in 48 hours. “Our tūpuna stood here,” said a pilot, eyes on the silt. Iwi stepped up—Ngāti Kahungunu fed 15,000 in a month, kai from marae kitchens in Hastings to Waipawa.

Wine’s the heartbeat—$1 billion yearly, 10% of Hawke’s Bay’s economy—and it bled. Of 4,000 hectares, 1,000 drowned; 200 wineries lost $500 million in stock. Great Wine Capitals’ post this week hails their fightback—PIWI grapes, resistant to rot and rain, now cover 200 hectares, up from 50 in 2022. Villa Maria lost 60% of its vines but replanted 100 hectares by 2024—$20 million from insurance and grit. Craggy Range, Esk Valley’s titan, pumped $15 million into drainage—50km of pipes—saving 80% of its 2025 yield. “We’re not done,” said their GM, sipping a 2024 Syrah.

Community backbone shone. Hastings’ Heretaunga Women’s Centre housed 300 displaced—beds, meals, childcare—running on $50,000 in donations. Napier’s Foodbank doubled output—10,000 meals weekly by April 2023, 60% from local growers who’d lost half their own. Schools like Flaxmere College, 70% Māori, turned halls into shelters—500 kids fed daily, 200 parents too. “Our kids led,” said a principal, tallying tins. Volunteers nationwide sent $30 million via Givealittle—50,000 donors, $600 average per campaign.

Big players rolled in. Fonterra shipped 20,000 liters of milk—free—within days; 80% went to kids under 5. ANZ banked $10 million in low-interest loans—200 farmers tapped it, replanting 500 hectares by 2024. Air NZ flew 5,000 relief workers—half from Wellington—waiving $2 million in fares. “Hawke’s Bay’s ours,” said a pilot, landing in Napier. International aid trickled—$5 million from Australia, 50 tonnes of gear from Japan—but it was locals and cousins who carried the load.

Recovery’s raw—40% of homes still need repairs, per a 2025 council audit. Wairoa’s 80% flood rate lingers; 1,000 residents haven’t returned. But 90% of orchards bear fruit again—$3 billion back in play. Wine’s at 85% capacity—3,400 hectares—2025 vintage pegged at $900 million. Bridges stand; SH2’s 80% flow means 50,000 cars daily. Schools hum—Flaxmere’s 500 kids back in class, 90% attendance. “We’re scarred, not broken,” said a Napier mum, pruning apples.

Who’s the hero? Everyone. Hart’s tractor crew, Wellington’s $10 million, Defence’s 400 flights, Kahungunu’s 15,000 meals, Villa Maria’s 100 hectares, Heretaunga’s 300 beds, Fonterra’s 20,000 liters—our cousins rallied, we rallied. Great Wine Capitals sees it—PIWI grapes signal a future, but it’s the people who’ve rebuilt the now. Cyclone Gabrielle was horrendous—11 gone, $14.5 billion lost—but Hawke’s Bay’s standing. Wellington salutes you, whānau—resilience in every vine, every hand.