Shelter, Support, and Strength: Waiariki Whānau Bring Relief to Isolated Communities

Community groups in the Eastern Bay of Plenty initially responded to immediate needs after Cyclone Vaianu and are now shifting focus from emergency response to longer-term recovery.

Local organisation Waiariki Whānau Mentoring – a kaupapa Māori organisation that provides mentoring, brokering and advocacy services for marginalised communities – understood support was needed in the wake of Cyclone Vaianu, not only for evacuees but also for whānau sleeping in undesirable conditions.

During Cyclone Vaianu, Waiariki Whānau, working alongside the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), were based at the Whakatāne War Memorial Hall, deploying teams directly into the community at the height of the storm.

Rangatira Waata Heathcote said a key focus during the height of the cyclone was supporting rough sleepers and those in unsafe living conditions.

“Waiariki whānau were actually out on the streets on Thursday and also on Friday night [at] 7.30 and on Saturday night up to 9 o'clock, giving reassurance but also sharing with our rough sleeper whānau that there was shelter,” he said.

Through established community relationships, the group was able to find shelter for 10 rough sleepers.

Alongside Tūhoe Hauora, Waiariki Whānau also set up Ngā Haumi ā Toi, a crisis response service supporting whānau experiencing distress, displacement, or heightened anxiety during the storm.

Medical support was available on site, with Te Waka Oranga nursing staff and a mobile ambulance stationed at the hall to assess injuries and existing health conditions.

Te Waka Tāngata Orange Sky, a mobile laundry and drying service, was also deployed to assist those who had been evacuated.

“That service was well used by the community,” Heathcote said.

As Vaianu moved away from Aotearoa, teams moved into clean-up operations, particularly in heavily affected areas such as Awatapu, clearing fallen trees, removing debris, and assisting with damages.

“There's been a  lot of work done, with respect to supporting the community, but just working alongside EOC to ensure that the needs of the community were met at that time,” he said.

Recovery efforts are now expanding into isolated rural areas still dealing with power outages, including Waimana, Nukuhou and Rūātoki.

Heathcote said Waiariki Whānau plans to deploy Te Waka Tāngata Orange Sky into these communities, where some residents have gone up to 48 hours without electricity.

Many of these residents have little to no access to water due to power outages affecting water pumps, meaning every day tasks such as flushing the toilet, washing hands, and doing laundry are unavailable.

Vaianu’s strong wind and heavy rain have caused damage to trees, powerlines and properties.

Heathcote said there are some businesses that have been affected and unable to open “due to severe damage to workshops etc.”

He said this has a flow-on effect into the community, so Whaiariki Whānu have opened their Whare Aio Special Supermarket.

This support is on top of the continued mental health support they are providing to those impacted.

Heathcote said the community supports Waiariki Whānau extremely well, although “more hands make lighter work.”

“We know that Whakatāne was hit very hard by the cyclone, just being out in the community yesterday and seeing the amount of damaged fence and ripped trees, which has caused significant damage,” he said.

“I think the more that people put their hands in to support communities, the better the kōtahitanga and the manaakitanga within the community you see.”