By Bill Hickman of RNZ

A police officer involved in the dramatic rescue of seven people during Cyclone Gabrielle had a moment where he thought he had “lost everybody” in the floodwaters.

Detective Constable Patrick Noiseux is among 38 people being honoured with the New Zealand Bravery Awards – the most since the awards began in 1999.

Members of emergency services are being lauded – alongside civilians – for their responses to events such as the Christchurch mosque attacks, armed assaults in Auckland and Dunedin, and the floods of early 2023.

On February 14 last year, Noiseux – alongside fellow award recipients constables Mark Bancroft and Kurtis Maney – were sent to help people evacuate after the cyclone hit near Pakowhai Rd, Hastings.

Moving through floodwaters on foot, the three officers came across seven people clinging to a pole in chest-deep water.

As the three officers struggled to reach the people, the strong currents swept them all under water.

Noiseux was separated from the group and when he resurfaced, he was initially unable to see anyone else.

“What went through my mind was that I’d lost everybody. I thought I’d lost the seven civilians plus my two mates, so I was not in a good place,” he said.

“You think ‘what do I do now’, and then [Bancroft’s] face popped out from the trees and the relief was incredible. Now problem two – ‘how do I get them out of there’?”

A chance encounter saves lives

At a crucial moment, Noiseux spotted a truck carrying a digger and a four-wheel-drive approaching the stricken group.

“I had to get in the way for him to stop. He did not want to stop because I guess the truck could’ve choked at any time because of the water. I went ‘we need your digger’.

“I’m not religious, but it was a moment when you say ‘I need help’ and then that truck came along and I’m like ‘thank you’.”

Residents stranded in Pakowhai awaiting a rooftop rescue during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Dee Southall

Noiseux leapt into the digger bucket and was piloted towards the group by the truck driver’s son.

They began to lift the stranded people up from the waters while Bancroft and Maney helped from below.

“I had to get them in the water – holding on to them to make sure they are not getting swept away – to drag them around the scoop and the whole time I’m standing in the lip of the scoop, so if I miss, I slip and then we’re all gone.

“The sheer current under us ... there was a lot of swirl, there was a lot of things in the water. I’ve been in swift water before, but that was different because of the debris.

“There’s no room for mistakes and even though you’re only 4m away, it might as well be China because of the things in the water.”

One by one, the stricken civilians were ferried to the truck. Bancroft and Maney were the last to be plucked from the water.

A wall of water

Once loaded aboard the truck the group headed towards Chesterhope Bridge, but the stopbank of the nearby Ngaruroro River breached and a wall of water rushed towards them.

The water about them rose 2.5m in about 15 minutes and stranded the group once again.

The rescuers and their passengers were forced to climb on to the cab of the truck and the roof of the Land Cruiser it was carrying to stay clear of the water.

The officers called the police emergency communication centre and an inflatable rescue boat was sent to ferry the group to safety.

Noiseux said even when perched atop the Land Cruiser that had been loaded on to the truck’s bed, their feet were submerged.

“So we’re dead in the water, literally. It was quite stressful because we had to wait our turn. The helicopter was directing the IRB to rooftops and other places, so we’re not the only customer there. It was a bit of a moment until we got picked up,” he said.

The officers’ efforts slowed to an agonising crawl as the boat punctured, limiting their cargo to one person a trip.

The constables remained on the submerged truck roof until all others had been rescued before being picked up in the IRB, one by one.

‘So many people have done amazing things’

Noiseux said he was thrilled to hear so many people had been recognised in this year’s awards.

“So many people have done amazing things. To have the opportunity to be there for people to get them out of it and to be recognised for that. It’s just the cherry on top. It’s incredible.”

Detective Jaime Stewart (then detective constable) and her colleague braved the surging waters to rescue five people, including a 4-year-old child and a baby, in Pakowhai during the cyclone.

“We had to go over the Pakowhai River, which was absolutely chocka full – it had water from the top of the stopbank to the other side of the stopbank. The bridge that we had to cross was lapping with water,” Stewart said.

“We honestly had no idea when or if the stopbanks were going to burst, but we knew there was a family there that needed rescuing.”

Stewart helped pluck the 4-year-old and baby from the roof of their shed as floodwaters rose around them.

Moments after bringing the young family to safety, the two officers plunged back into the waters to rescue an elderly couple struggling to stay afloat.

‘A deafening crack’

Stewart said there was a sudden moment when the two officers shared a realisation of the danger they were placing themselves in.

“We’d just passed this iron fence and we heard this deafening crack and something in the water that was raging through had hit it and the whole fence had wiped out – just where we had been.

“That was the first moment of ‘okay, this is really serious and this is life-threatening and we really need to push this and get in and out as fast as we can’,” she said.

Stewart said receiving the Bravery Award was a humbling and surreal experience.

“I believe wholeheartedly that any officer that went into that situation – the same way that I did – would have done the same thing. It just happened to be me and my colleague. We were the people there at the time and we just did what we needed to do. But it is amazing to be recognised.”

PM grateful for recipients’ courage

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was grateful to each of the honourees who “showed their willingness to step up when members of their community were at great risk”.

“I would like to convey my gratitude to each of the New Zealand Bravery Award recipients,” he said.

“I would also like to make special note of the many police officers who are amongst [them]. Men and women who put their lives in danger every single day in order to protect New Zealand’s people. We owe you our deep thanks for your service.”