Flood-hit families helped by stranger’s 16-hour laundry effort

Monday, 4 May 2026

Danny Mulholland is a typical good sort, determinedly playing down his deeds.

Nah, he says, it was really no big deal laundering all the clothes belonging to a family of four. Honestly, he says, it was a privilege to do it.

And later, he’ll reluctantly admit he did the same thing for another three or four families, all strangers.

“I’m just happy I could help, seriously .”

Mulholland might be minimising his actions of nearly a fortnight ago but one of the people he helped certainly isn’t.

Joe Horsman’s home was among the more than 1800 properties impacted in the floods of April 19, one of the most severe events since records began.

Read more:

• ‘A river flowing through the house’: Flood-hit Wellington residents ponder massive cleanup

• Flooding leaves Island Bay hospitality businesses counting the cost

• Five wrecked cars show the awesome power of Wellington flooding

The damage was quick and devastating, he says on Tuesday, recounting how one moment a security camera caught the water lapping at the car tyres, then the next it was threatening to swamp the cot where his baby was sleeping.

He and his partner ended up standing on their dining table, passing their children through a window to fire fighters. He’s grateful that the kids are too young to understand what really happened.

But Horsman says this story isn’t about him. His partner’s mum was able to provide a safe place to move to in the aftermath, and the family have hopefully secured a rental.

This story, he says, is what happened the following day.

“I posted on the local Facebook group looking for any work wear - gloves, wellies- and dozens and dozens of people offered support.

“One of them was Danny who owns a laundromat in Haitati. He said he’d come to wherever we were and collect all the clothes we thought had been destroyed in the flood.”

And that’s what he did. Horsman says the clothes were “nasty, dirty, soaked and covered in mud” but Mulholland picked them up and spirited them off to be disinfected, washed on high-heat, then dried.

“There were five or six huge bags and he dropped the last one off about 9.30pm. He was working so hard for us.”

In practical terms, Mullholland’s actions meant the obvious - “clothes for our babies and a huge load taken off our shoulders.

“It was going to be step one of our immediate plan and he covered that of. He made it so much easier, a huge thing ticked off our list, and I think he saved almost everything.”

In emotional terms, though, it might have meant more.

“Just that a stranger did that, for no charge, is incredibly kind. It’s hard to describe.”

Mulholland, meanwhile, just reiterates he was happy to help, teaming up with his own family to quickly save the clothes.

“It was a 16-hour shift but that was a bit of self preservation - we didn’t want it to drag into the next day. We got some takeaways and kept rocking.”

His business is called Big Wash Haitaiti, and has been in his family since 1987. His folks started their first one in Newtown in1986.

“I’ve always felt really connected and loved, when something needs doing there’s always been people around for me.

“We feel privileged and lucky to have grown up in and around South Wellington, it’s been good to us so it’s been good to give back.”

Mulholland believes that when the world’s problems feel so overwhelming, sometimes we just have to narrow our focus.

“I’m going to be at play-centre, the school committee, the football club … take the opportunity to help where you can.

“Joe said lots of nice things to me that day after the flood, but I should have told him something too:

”You know what? This was the best thing I could have done today.'