Five people remain at Ngātiwai Marae in Ngāiotōngā, 50 kilometres north of Whangārei, more than five months after violent storms struck Northland's east coast on 18 January 2026.
Aroha Samuels and Willy Thompson were living in a caravan when knee-deep water flooded the interior. "Around quarter to five that morning, Willy got up and he wondered why there was water up to his knees inside the caravan," Samuels said. "We had to sit there, we couldn't get out. We couldn't open the door because the water was just rushing past." The couple lost their belongings as they floated down the river and reached the marae with only the clothes they wore.
Sam Tamihana, who turns 70 in July, was living in a caravan on whānau land when the storm destroyed the door and three windows. "I've never seen a flood come up so fast in the area," he said, adding that the creek rose a good six metres. "We've been through Bola and Gabrielle, but they didn't do half the damage as this one-nighter did."
Floodwaters destroyed a bridge north of Ngāiotōngā and landslides blocked the route to the south, isolating travellers and residents. Fourteen marae affiliated to Ngātiwai iwi provided shelter during the emergency. The marae has provided campervans for evacuees to sleep in and paused most regular activities except tangi.
Karlene Wakefield of Ngātiwai Trust Board said the recovery has continued without let-up since January. "We're still in the thick of it. People are still suffering," she said.
The marae and trust board are working with the Temporary Accommodation Service to obtain cabins for evacuees to relocate to their land, but the temporary units require connection to power and wastewater systems. The displaced whānau previously lived off-grid with solar power and composting toilets. "Because we don't have the infrastructure they can't really help us with cabins," Samuels said. "We'd have to get power, access, water, septic."
Additional Ngātiwai marae on the east coast and Aotea Great Barrier Island continue sheltering people displaced in January. The principal road to Whangārei remains closed following a landslide from a second storm on 21 January. Whangārei District Council said one lane could reopen in late July.