5:15 pm today
Wives of firefighters killed in landslide recount hearing of their deaths
The wives of two firefighter killed in a landslide during Cyclone Gabrielle have recounted the moment they learned their partners had died. Volunteer firefighters Dave van Zwanenberg and Craig Stevens were buried while responding to slips on Muriwai's Motutara Road on the 13th of February 2023. Craig Stevens was freed from the pile but later died in hospital, while Dave van Zwanenberg was found dead after two days of searching. A coronial inquest into their deaths is being held in Auckland. Felix Walton was there.