Brightwell whānau grateful for community support in rebuilding after Cyclone Gabrielle

Mareikura Brightwell, Raipoia Brightwell, and Matahi Brightwell in their renovated whare in Marian Drive. They held a walk-through exhibition at the house as a way of thanking those who helped them after the house was flooded in Cyclone Gabrielle. Picture by Matai O’Connor

Community spirit helped the Brightwell whānau back into their whare after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Matahi and Raipoia Brightwell were lost for words when their Marian Drive house was ruined. But after receiving support from many different people and organisations, they were able to move back into their home after five months.

To say thank you to the community they hosted an art exhibition at their Marian Drive home. “Hei Hoa — Walk-through post-flood exhibition” was a way to bring those who supported them back to the home and take time to acknowledge and thank them for their support.

“We wanted to make sure we acknowledge all those that helped us. We wanted to say thank you,” Raipoia Brightwell said.

“We are happy to be home. We were lucky to have heaps of people helping us get back in here.”

At the height of the cyclone, the Waimata River ran right through the house, covering their belongings, including artworks by Matahi.

They have had a huge amount of help from the community, including complete strangers, who came and helped clean the whare, their belongings and get into the hard mahi, along with donations.

Now eight months on, the Brightwell whānau are back in their whare which has been mostly fully renovated.

Matahi has a new carving studio being built out the front of their property. Once the walls go up the carvings in storage will come back home.

One part of the house is still not complete as it is on a slight angle, but Matahi has used that area as his new studio and art exhibition space.

Throughout the whare, there are now new paintings he created to help keep his wairua lifted and mind at ease while dealing with what has happened to their home.

Painting was new to Matahi.

He was always a carver, but with a lack of space to carve, he decided to play around with the new medium.

One piece he did is based on Te Rauparaha, his father’s ancestor, who hid from pursuers on an island in Lake Rotoaira, south of Lake Taupo.  There he concealed himself in a kūmara pit.

“It’s like we were put into the kūmara pit in the dark, and the community set us free,” Matahi said.

“Before this I never had much faith in humanity, but now I do.”

The support from the community signified the New Zealand spirit, he said.

“We jump to help one another.”

They are thankful to Te Aitanga a Mahaki Trust who provided them with a cabin for temporary accommodation.

The Rongowhakaata Iwi Restoration project planted harakeke and tītoki on the property near the river, along with the Waimata Catchment Group who planted kōwhai and mānuka to help prevent any erosion.

They plan to plant more along that area.

The house is in category 2A, so they are still waiting on Gisborne District Council assessments to see if they stay there or not.