A year on from Cyclone Gabrielle, the Gisborne District Council held the Tairāwhiti Superhero Awards last night. These recognised individuals and organisations who went above and beyond to support their communities during the cyclone and its devastating aftermath.
The Firstlight Network team were honoured and humbled to be nominated, and to receive a Mayoral Award.
Cyclone Gabrielle initially caused power to go out for the whole region, due to damage at Transpower’s Redclyffe substation in Napier. Once the region was reconnected to the national grid, there were still around 4,500 customers without power – many in areas that were unreachable, with roads washed away.
The award nomination acknowledged how the Network team and their contractors worked tirelessly to restore power in the most difficult conditions, focusing on people and healthcare. This was following multiple severe weather events over the previous 18 months.
The evening was a great introduction to Tairāwhiti for George Drysdale, the new Manager Firstlight Network Operations, during his first week in the job.
Firstlight Network would like to pay tribute to their fellow nominees and the communities of Tairāwhiti and Wairoa, who were impacted so deeply and continue to show such incredible resilience.
Congratulations to all the award recipients, including Electrinet's Toby Pickering. You can see the full list here.