Emotional homecoming for Collins family after Cyclone Gabrielle tragedy

More than two years after Cyclone Gabrielle, and a flood that destroyed their Eskdale house and drowned two-year-old Ivy, the Collins family is moving home.

In February 2023, Ella and Jack Collins were trying to escape the rising floodwaters with children Imogen and Ivy, when their youngest was swept to her death.

After years of living in limbo, grieving their daughter, having a baby - son Jack Jnr - and all trying to recover from that traumatic night, the family finally feel a sense of hope about where their lives are headed, after being gifted a house.

"Our children spent their lives here," Ella Collins said. "Ivy spent her life here and this is also where she died."

The Collins sat down for an exclusive interview with RNZ Reporter Alexa Cook and explained how coming back had brought up some mixed emotions.

"I've settled on excitement," Ella said. "Just excitement to be home, as it's been a really long two-and-a-half years and I think, once we are home, that's when our true healing will begin."

Despite the terrifying and traumatic memories of that tragic night, Jack told RNZ there was never a question about returning.

"I've always wanted to come back, on the proviso we could make it safe. I mean, Ivy's here... this is where we consider home."

Ivy's birthday lands on 23 September and the bright, happy child should be celebrating her fifth birthday this week, playing with her siblings in the backyard.

Ella said she would have loved to meet five-year-old Ivy.

"I think she'd have a lot to say - I think she'd be very funny. Her future was so bright.

"The world's a lot colder without her in it."

• The Collins family were among hundreds of Hawke's Bay residents forced to flee for their lives during Cyclone Gabrielle, because they weren't evacuated in time.
• Inquiries into the actions of authorities before and during the cyclone all found failures in New Zealand's emergency management system
• A coroner's inquest into the deaths of 19 people during Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary flooding began in June, and will continue in Hawke's Bay next month.

Since the cyclone, the family had rented a house an hour away in Central Hawke's Bay, but about 18 months ago, Mitre 10 offered to build them a new home for free.

"It's huge," Ella said. "It's the biggest gift anybody ever could have thought to give our family - it feels like both a fresh start and going home.

"In my ideal world, everybody that was affected would receive the same generosity. I don't have the power to do that unfortunately.

"We do have the power to say 'yes please' and 'thank you' to this, for our family and for our future - but ultimately, we got this because we lost our daughter."

"It's incredible," Jack said. "It's a dream made manifest and it's really stoked our fires to see our flag being raised back on our turf."

The family had worked so hard to create their little slice of paradise, he said, and it was all taken away in an instant.

"It's the ultimate injustice. Everyone can see that for what it is and everyone wants to make it better."

Inside the new house, seven-year-old Imogen had chosen her new bedroom and already had a plan for how to remember Ivy.

"I thought maybe I could hang a photo of my little sister on the wall," she said.

The plan to rebuild the Collins' home began with neighbour Louise Parsons, who rallied the community to donate time, labour and supplies.

"We ended up getting everything donated and I'd literally made the last phone call," Parsons said. "Every person I talked to, these grown men, would cry and say they'd absolutely love to.

"Then I got a call from Mitre 10 and that was the gamechanger. Basically, he said, 'We've got a house and we want a worthy family to give it to'.

"I was made redundant - best redundancy ever," she said, with a laugh.

That man was Tristan Seccombe from Mitre 10 and he had overseen the whole project for the past 18 months.

"We've had people as far north as Whangarei and as far south as Westport being involved in this project," he said. "It's pretty overwhelming.

"The generosity goes far and beyond what I would almost consider as a natural thing, so it's been fantastic."

The house was built at the MCL Constructions shed in Maraekakaho, then trucked and craned onto the Collins property at the end of August.

"It's quite emotional," Seacombe said. "The morning we moved the house was almost a surreal moment - it's been so long in the process."

Parsons told RNZ she was in awe over how New Zealanders had responded to the Collins' situation.

"This is a story that has touched everybody's heart," she said. "I think they've got a collective hug around this family, the whole of New Zealand.

"It's the best thing to come out of this whole, whole cyclone really. We all get down in the dumps about things, but Kiwis are good people."

'There'll always be that little bit of fear'

The Collins' house is now the tallest on the street, sitting atop 1.8-metre wooden piles to give the family some peace of mind in future floods. The ceiling had been built with extra insulation to reduce the sound and ease feelings of anxiety that returned every time it rained.

Jack said, although they would always worry about future floods, a new stopbank nearby and the new features on the house had helped reduce his concerns, but Ella said there would always be that little bit of fear.

"It's your sanctuary and when that's been completely destroyed, it's very hard to get that feeling back."

Now, they felt closer to Ivy - the reason for their new home, always in their minds.

Ivy has been cremated and the family will take her home, when they move back to Eskdale in October. They planned to create a special place where her body was found, near the back fence of their garden.

"It'll be a contemplative space - a quiet space, where we can go and sit, and where our daughter, Imogen, can go and sit when she needs to, and when she wants to feel close to her," Ella said.

"I think that in itself will be hugely healing for us all."

'It feels like re-joining reality'

Ella was especially excited about rebuilding her garden.

"I developed this massive passion for gardening and I started my 'Dig Deep Gardening For Life' YouTube channel and I shared so much information with people.

"I want to do that again. I want to show everybody how we start from scratch, how we do it for free or as free as possible, which is one of my main things, and I just want to start propagating plants and gifting them.

Jack broke his spine on the night of Cyclone Gabrielle, while saving his neighbours, and due to constant pain, he hasn't been able to return to physical work. His new passion was reconditioning and restoring air rifles.

"It's something that brings me joy and peace," he said. "I can't wait to get my shed set back up as a workshop."

Finally, the future was looking brighter, taking the family out of limbo.

"Coming home feels like the first proper tangible step to getting on with our lives," said Ella.

The Collins house project was overseen and led by Mitre 10, but included build partners MCL Construction, PGC Constructors, South Peak Homes, Total Home Solutions, Residential Building Specialists, Advance Homes and Grant Linnell Builders, as well as many sub contractors, such as Advanced Plumbing, Mill Electrical, Toby's Roof & Gutter, HDS, Twin City Aluminium, BNL, Complete Flooring, Premier Prenail, Pro Trade and Berkett Earthmovers.

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