When Cyclone Gabrielle powered through the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand in the middle of the night on February 14, 2023, it unleashed a torrent of river water, detritus, and silt so high that it smashed through bridges, stopbanks, and overtopped homes.   

Eight died in the region, hundreds were rescued from rooftops, thousands were displaced and initially deemed missing, and power and internet access was severed.

For the one year anniversary of the cyclone, Hawke’s Bay Today decided to produce a commemorative print edition for its community. 

This was an edition to remember what hit us, to focus on how far we’d come, and to help the region grieve. 

For cyclone victims in the dark for days or weeks after – both figurately and literally - it was a chance to learn about exactly what hit, where it hit, and how people responded. 

And for heroes who hadn’t sought the limelight before, it was a place to share their remarkable stories. 

We made it 104 pages, befitting of the size and scale of the disaster, and bolstered by advertising support from dozens of clients - new and old.

We wrote news stories from across the region – from as many of the 50+ communities impacted as we could – as well as compelling opinion pieces and reader images. 

Across four of the pages we included a comprehensive timeline called ‘Get eyes in the sky ASAP’: Inside Civil Defence as Cyclone Gabrielle hit, detailing the communications and decisions made as the cyclone approached and how officials reacted as water began to breach stopbanks. 

The front cover was turned black and white for the day for two reasons - firstly, because they are the official colours of the region, and secondly, to symbolise the edition’s status as a historical document.

The feedback from the edition was immense.  

Despite a large bump in our retail presence for the day, the papers were almost immediately sold out when shops opened on the morning of February 14. 

It ended up becoming the biggest selling edition of 2024, and likely for several years before that as well. 

Our thousands of subscribers were delighted. We had hundreds of thank you messages; from phone calls to social media comments. 
 
An email from Kathie Bamber in Taradale summed up the feeling in the community: 
 
‘Dear Chris Hyde, 

Congratulations to you all at Hawke's Bay Today on an excellent Cyclone Gabrielle commemorative issue. 

I thought it was presented with sensitivity, inclusiveness and lack of drama and sensationalism (an achievement to be celebrated these days, in my opinion). 

In your editorial you say "we debated the merits of a commemorative edition" and I can sympathise with that. On a random occasion when I watched TV1 News, I heard mention of a special Cyclone Gabrielle report. I wondered at the time what good would be served by it but, on reflection, I considered how it might be a helpful outlet for grief, anger and mental anguish for those who suffered most. 

We (my husband and I, our daughter, son-in-law and their sons) were among the fortunate. The flood water from the Tutaekuri River came close to us in our Taradale street but didn't reach there. 

To begin with, given the lack of communication, I knew little of the scope of Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation. Over following weeks, I became more aware of how people, land businesses, roads and bridges had suffered. Even so, after reading Hawke's Bay Today's commemorative issue, I realised there had been "happenings" I didn't know about. So, thank you for filling in the gaps for the fortunate of us and making us realise how very fortunate we were.’