Key Takeaways
- Ella Collins testified about the night her toddler Ivy was swept away during Cyclone Gabrielle’s flooding in Hawke’s Bay.
- The family’s attempt to reach higher ground turned tragic when a sudden directional torrent knocked them off their feet.
- Jack Collins suffered a spinal injury and now experiences grand‑mal seizures; Ella continues to cope with the loss of her daughter.
- Imogen, their surviving daughter, struggles daily with trauma and grief from the event.
- Collins criticized the lack of timely, proactive warnings, arguing residents deserve clear information to make safety decisions.
- Coroner Erin Woolley emphasized the need for better evacuation communications and is overseeing a long‑running inquiry into 19 deaths linked to the floods and cyclone.
Family Background and Expectations
Ella Collins described her life before the disaster as “boastfully happy.” She, her husband Jack, and their two young daughters—four‑year‑old Ivy and seven‑year‑old Imogen—lived in a home on North Shore Road, Whirinaki, north of the Esk River mouth. Ella was also pregnant with their third child at the time. The family felt secure in their community and trusted that local authorities would alert them if danger arose, a belief reinforced by a telephone warning they had received during a smaller flood in 2018.
Early Signs of the Flood
On the morning of February 14, 2023, Ella was awakened around 4 a.m. by the sound of water gushing into the house. She stepped out of bed into ankle‑deep water, and within half an hour the floodwaters had risen to chest height. The water’s advance was steady but initially lacked a clear direction, spreading erratically through the property as the family tried to assess the situation.
Decision to Evacuate and the “Adventure” Narrative
As the water began moving furniture around, Ella and Jack told their daughters they were “going on an adventure” to reach safety. They instructed the girls to hold on tightly and not let go. The family waded out of their inundated home, aiming for a two‑storey dwelling two doors away that they identified as the highest point nearby. Their hope was to reach higher ground before the water became uncontrollable.
The Sudden Torrent and Ivy’s Loss
Initially, the floodwater moved in a non‑directional, chaotic manner. However, when Ella, carrying Ivy on her shoulders, stepped across a driveway, she encountered a “large torrent” with an overwhelming, directional flow. The abrupt shift from rising, nondirectional water to a powerful current caused both Ella and Ivy to lose their footing instantly. Ella was pushed under the water, and Ivy was lifted from her shoulders, floating face‑down away from her. Ella screamed to Jack, “I’ve lost Ivy,” marking the moment the toddler was swept away.
Jack’s Rescue Attempt and Subsequent Injuries
Jack reacted immediately, pulling Ella to a hedge he was gripping before handing Imogen to her and diving back into the torrent to search for Ivy. He called her name repeatedly but was himself swept away by the force of the water. Jack managed to catch hold of a tree about 25 metres away, a feat Ella described as “nothing short of a miracle.” He eventually made his way back to Ella and Imogen, but the effort left him with a severe spinal injury that has prevented him from returning to work and triggered recurring grand‑mal seizures.
Helicopter Rescue and Ongoing Health Impacts
After Jack’s injury, Ella, Jack, and Imogen were rescued from a neighbour’s roof by helicopter. The spinal trauma Jack sustained has had lasting consequences; he remains unable to work and continues to suffer seizures that affect his daily life. Ella lives with the profound grief of losing Ivy, describing her family as “broken in ways I cannot articulate.” The physical and emotional toll of that night continues to shape their existence.
Imogen’s Trauma and Grief
Their surviving daughter, Imogen, now seven, faces daily challenges stemming from the loss of her sister and the terrifying events she witnessed. Ella described Imogen’s struggle as “debilitating,” noting that the trauma of that night manifests in anxiety, nightmares, and difficulty coping with everyday stressors. The family’s efforts to provide emotional support are ongoing, but the scar of Ivy’s absence remains deep.
Prior Warnings and Expectations for Gabrielle
Ella recalled receiving a telephone warning from the council during a lesser flood in 2018, which led the family to believe they would be notified of any imminent danger. Before Cyclone Gabrielle, she monitored council and Civil Defence media, noting that most advisories focused on water conservation, avoiding toilet flushing, and staying out of floodwaters—not on evacuation orders. When the cyclone approached, the family waited for a similar alert, assuming they would be informed if their safety was at risk.
Critique of Warning Systems and Call for Proactive Action
By the time further warnings were issued on the morning of February 14, the floodwaters had already risen to dangerous levels, rendering the information too late to be useful. Ella argued that residents have a right to timely, clear information that enables them to make their own safety decisions. She contrasted the inadequate messaging before Gabrielle with the proactive evacuations carried out for Cyclone Vaianu the previous weekend, where homes along the coast were moved pre‑emptively despite limited impact. Coroner Erin Woolley echoed this sentiment, agreeing that more proactive evacuations and better communication are necessary.
Scope of the Coroner’s Inquiry
Coroner Woolley resumed hearings in Hastings to investigate the circumstances surrounding 19 deaths connected to the early‑2023 extreme weather events. Four fatalities occurred during the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods, nine resulted from Cyclone Gabrielle’s battering of the east coast, two firefighters died at Muriwai, and the inquiry also examines the disappearance of a man driving from Napier to Gisborne on the night of Gabrielle, plus three later deaths suspected to be suicides. Ric Stevens, a journalist with NZME’s Open Justice team, is covering the proceedings from Hawke’s Bay. The investigation aims to determine whether inadequate warnings, delayed evacuations, or other systemic failures contributed to these tragedies and to recommend changes that could prevent future loss of life.