‘I went quiet and held my babies’: Mum thought family would die on rooftop of flooded home

Thursday, 22 January 2026

A mum rescued with her children after a night on a rooftop in Punaruku says she thought she and her tamariki were going to die when she heard rescue wasn’t coming.

Huia Ngatai and Roderick Cooper, along with their children aged 3, 9, 11,17 and 19, were rescued by helicopter only once water receded and they made their own way off the roof of their home in the settlement near Te Araroa on the East Coast.

Ngatai said they went out to check the bridge at the end of her property at around 2am on Thursday morning and noticed the water level was unusually high, saying the property has never previously flooded, as they are on higher ground than neighbours who usually take the impact when floods hit.

Seeing how high the water was, they rushed home, checking on neighbours on their way.

They woke their children and started preparing to put them in their truck as a precaution, but within five minutes they saw it floating down their driveway and ran to the back door to find a path to safety, but there was none.

Illuminated by a head torch, they saw a flash flood heading straight for them.

“We climbed onto the roof as the water rapidly rose. The experience was horrific,” Ngatai said, saying she was on the phone to two the women who consoled her and offered her advice.

“My children were screaming and crying, and we were all in shock,” she said.

“As we moved toward the highest point of the roof, the deck roof suddenly disintegrated and collapsed in front of us. By then, floodwater was surging down both sides of the house and had risen within seconds to the bottom of the roof. We could feel the house moving and creaking beneath us. The noise was overwhelming — boulders crashing like thunder, trees cracking, and relentless heavy rain. The children were cold and terrified.”

The whānau huddled together on the roof to try to keep warm while emergency services contacted her directly and instructed them to remain on the roof and stay calm. Ngatai says she was in “extreme distress” and pleaded for a helicopter rescue but was told that air rescue could not be attempted due to the severity of the weather conditions.

“Hearing this while believing we were about to lose our lives was devastating,” she said. She hit the phones again, desperately calling friends and whānau for any help, waiting five hours in torrential rain.

“Eventually, I went quiet and held my babies, believing that we were going to die,” she told Stuff.

She said a large pūriri tree directly behind the house diverted the flow of the river around both sides of the house rather than directly through it.

“Without that tree, we believe the water would have rushed straight through the house.”

With daybreak, the rain eased off and the water receded. The family were able to come down and made their way to the road, where emergency services had arrived. A helicopter later arrived and airlifted them to the Te Araroa clinic, where they were checked over.

A statement on behalf of the family on Thursday afternoon thanked the community for “all for the outpouring of messages, aroha, and support for this whānau”.

“Huia, Bully, and all of their tamariki are safe and warm in Te Araroa,” it read.

“They have lost absolutely everything material despite being vigilant and prepared to move to higher ground. Unfortunately, when it became clear that the creek was rising rapidly, they were already locked into their property at all exit points. We can be prepared, but we are never in control of the Taiao and her devastation.

“I want to acknowledge the incredible bravery and quick action of both Bully and Huia in ensuring the safety of their tamariki. They acted immediately and managed an extremely frightening situation with strength and clarity.

“At this time, they are taking space to rest, regroup, and begin considering their next steps.”

Jade Lister-Baty from Gisborne District Council said there were five other properties and the campground evacuated after the floods hit.

Images released later showed the scale of the destruction.

The harrowing images include one of the home that where the whānau were rescued. Fire and Emergency Tairāwhiti shared some photos online, writing: “These are not training images. This is Punaruku, Te Araroa, this morning.

“People rescued from rooftops as floodwaters quickly surrounded their homes.

“Our thoughts remain with those affected and the families involved!”

Civil Defence in Te Araroa earlier warned whānau to tie their tamariki to themselves and head to the roof if flooding hits.

'If water is rising around your house, get as high as possible! If possible - get on the roof of your house and hunker down! Stick together. Tie your tamariki to you,' they shared on Facebook. 'DO NOT ENTER YOUR ATTIC TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATER,'

“This event unfolded within minutes and was unlike anything we had ever experienced,” Huia Ngatai said.

“The speed, force, and unpredictability of the flooding has left our family traumatised and deeply affected.”