Coordinating Response During Disaster: The 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle in the Hawke’s Bay Region as Case Study
Date
Authors
Mistry, Priyanka
Le Dé, Loïc
Miller, Todd
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience
Abstract
Cyclone Gabrielle struck Aotearoa New Zealand in February 2023 and was one of the most devastating disaster events in the country’s recent history. Response efforts involved a wide range of stakeholders and exposed critical coordination challenges. This study examined the effectiveness of these responses through 15 semi-structured interviews with representatives from national and local emergency management agencies, non-government organisations and community groups, as well as marae [meeting place] leaders involved in the response. It focused on the coordination among these different actors to identify strengths, gaps and challenges, and to understand the implications for disaster resilience. Findings reveal systemic issues in communication and coordination that hindered timely and equitable response, particularly in reaching people in rural areas, collaborating with Māori communities and engaging volunteers. Cultural disconnects, under-utilisation of local networks and training gaps for surge staff and emergency personnel also limited response effectiveness. The study highlights the need to strengthen pre-disaster relationships with iwi [tribes], marae and community-based groups to enhance workforce preparedness and embed culturally responsive practices.Description
Keywords
1103 Clinical Sciences, 1605 Policy and Administration, 2001 Communication and Media Studies, 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour, 4404 Development studies, 4407 Policy and administration
Source
Australian Journal of Emergency Management, ISSN: 1324-1540 (Print); 1324-1540 (Online), Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, 41(1), 36-36. doi: 10.47389/41.1.36
DOI
Rights statement
© 2026 by the authors. License Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, Melbourne, Australia. This is an open source article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Information and links to references in this paper are current at the time of publication.