Community groups say they felt left out of the Auckland flood response due to a lack of communication from local and central Government.
Community groups did play a huge part in the response, including cooking thousands of meals, getting them to those in need and translating key information across multiple languages.
But a Government inquiry, led by Sir Jerry Mateparae, found their ability to respond was hindered.
The inquiry called the 200 to 300mm rainfall in Auckland "extremely fast-moving and sporadic".
In Northland, 64,000 houses lost power - some for a week or more – and in Coromandel, State Highway 25A near Kopu cleaved in two.
In Auckland, the inquiry found "emergency management processes were virtually non-existent".
It went on to say that: "The lack of planning for the immediate response of a large-scale event exacerbated an already stressful situation".
It said public trust and confidence in Civil Defence was also undermined.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown was unwell on Tuesday and unavailable to respond to the report's findings, which also acknowledged the thousands of Kiwis who stepped up to help.
But many told the inquiry they had no community plan to put into action and did not feel part of the formal response.
In the aftermath of the floods, a Sikh temple in Takanini housed people in portacoms. It also prepared thousands of meals using its onsite kitchen, and connected with other local volunteer groups to reach those most in need.
"I think resources-wise there is no problem, only a lack of communication where we can better help the community," Sikh leader Daljit Singh told Newshub.
"Pretty much we can serve 20,000 people on a daily basis if we are all working together."
Singh is calling on local and central Government to include community groups like his in preparation and planning.
There were also gaps in how ethnic communities themselves were supported. The inquiry found Civil Defence centres did not accommodate language and cultural differences.
Local ethnic and faith communities told the inquiry they did not know where to go or where to seek help.
"The Sikh community is over 100,000 now, so resources need to be met as per the growth," Singh said.
There's a push for community groups working to bridge language barriers, communicate important information and provide support to be better utilised next time a big storm hits.
"We're a country that, you know, there's going to continue to get hit with weather events, we want to make sure that we're prepared," Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell said.
