Hawke's Bay schools treated to special Air Force visit to mark Cyclone Gabrielle anniversary

To mark one year since the devastating weather event, a No. 3 Squadron helicopter flew from RNZAF Base Ohakea and visited a number of schools in Hawke’s Bay to facilitate koha exchanges, and gave students a chance to meet the crew and board an RNZAF NH90.

 Flight Lieutenant Lachie Huddleston, who grew up in Hawke’s Bay, was part of the Air Force’s response team following Gabrielle, and remembers flying over scenes of devastation.

 “Today is so different, you can see the blue sky,” he said.

“It has a much calmer, and more relaxed feeling than a year ago.”

 He said it was heart-warming to return to the same areas that were so badly damaged this time last year.

 It’s really cool for us to check in on these communities and see how they are going. They are all positive and thriving. They’re still affected, but they are getting on with their lives.

 “It’s great for us to be a part of, because all we ever see is the initial emergency response, we only get involved when things are really bad. So we like to touch base with them a year on, particularly when the sun is out.”

Havelock North Primary School were the first to greet No. 3 Squadron, where an army of students helped load up the NH90 with dozens of koha boxes to be delivered to Kererū Primary School.

Kereru School Principal, Kelsie Allen was “overwhelmed” by the generosity and the kindness of people. She had never even met Havelock North Primary School teacher Annie Boyd, who’d organised the event.

 “She said she wanted to do this and I’m still shocked. It will take a while to unpack,” Ms Allen said.

 “This will affect the community in such a positive way. Our community has come together following the cyclone really closely. This is just another way to bring us together.

 “I know so many other people are doing it tough out there in other communities, not just ours, so we are just so appreciative.”

 For nine weeks following the cyclone Ms Allen and some of the school’s pupils could only get to school on the back of a tractor trailer.

 “I went for a walk this morning and watched the sun come up and I thought how a year can change things. It’s made me so much more appreciative of bridges and culverts.

 “As I was driving over our new bridge this morning, I thought how pleased I was to have it back.”

Despite progress in the region, the Kereru Gorge is still out of action and one of their teachers still has to ride a bike across farmland to get to school.

A similar koha exchange was then facilitated between Hastings Boys’ High School, and Eskdale Primary School.

No. 3 Squadron were welcomed on to Hastings Boys’ High School with a rousing haka.

Head boy Osiris White Munro and Deputy Head Boy Brayden Reeve were then chosen to board the NH90 and flew with the crew to Eskdale, where they met fellow pupils to present their koha.

 Neither Osiris nor Brayden had ever been in a helicopter before and were “truly stoked” to have been given the opportunity.

 “You wouldn’t even realise we had a cyclone a year ago with all the progress we’ve done. But there are still communities out there that are hard hit,” Osiris said.

 Brayden said he felt privileged to be part of the day’s events.

 “It’s a true honour and we both appreciate this opportunity. It’s hard to put into words how far we’ve come as a community and as individuals.

 “To see clear skies on a day like this, it’s really significant in terms of the fact of how far we’ve come and how we can have such a day like this.

 Eskdale school principal Tristan Cheer said the school had been told earlier in the week about the anniversary commemorations, and that Hastings Boy’s High School had collected koha to donate to them.

 “But the thing our students were most excited about was the Air Force’s helicopter landing on our field,” he said.