The family of a two-year-old girl who died in Cyclone Gabrielle are demanding authorities be held to account, after yet another report found that Civil Defence failed to keep people safe.
During Cyclone Gabrielle, as the family tried to escape the floodwaters, Ivy was swept to her death.
"Ivy's death could have been prevented - and that hurts. That sucks. That is why there needs to be accountability," said Ella Collins, Ivy's mum.
As the floodwaters rose, no one warned them - despite authorities knowing there was a risk to life.
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"It's just gross incompetence at the highest level. And the whole refusal of accepting responsibility," Ivy's dad, Jack, told Newshub.
"Every time I close my eyes I'm reminded of what was, what could have been, and what we'll never get back. It's heartbreaking," he said.
The Government inquiry, led by Sir Jerry Mateparae, came to a shocking conclusion, that: "As a country, we are not ready to respond to large-scale emergencies."
It found New Zealand's emergency response system failed to protect Kiwis during the extreme weather events early last year, such as Cyclone Gabrielle, Cyclone Hale and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
Fifteen people died, and one person is still missing.
Ella and Jack are worried nothing has changed since the cyclone.
"This cannot be allowed to happen to the next family. One alert, someone just had to push a button once and we would still have our baby girl," said Ella.
The family wasn't included - or even asked to be included - in the Government inquiry. Even though a photo of their daughter Imogen being lifted to safety was used in the report.
"Yeah that was a surprise," said Ella.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell was in Opposition when the cyclone hit. He says Kiwis were failed by the emergency response system.
"Yes they were, it's very obvious that the system is not fit for purpose. We had outstanding Kiwis out there doing the best they could in the circumstances, but it was very obvious they were let down by the process," said Mitchell.
'Nothing has happened'
The inquiry made 14 recommendations, including putting people and their communities at the heart of an integrated system, clarifying roles in emergency management, and developing a comprehensive warning system for the public.
That's something Esk Valley resident Dan Gale has been calling for since day one. He was part of the inquiry.
"It doesn't fix or heal, but at least we're being listened to. It's a good start, so now the action needs to occur," said Gale.
He has his own evacuation system, a river-level device that sets off an alarm in the house when the Esk River reaches a certain height. He's worried Civil Defence is no better prepared than it was for Cyclone Gabrielle.
"No one anywhere is safer than they were the day before the flood. Nothing has happened."
A concern shared by the Collins', who want to see Civil Defence held to account, similar to how WorkSafe can fine a business.
"But because it's the council, you know. If it was a private company monitoring the river or in charge of Civil Defence, they'd be bloody crucified," said Jack.
Newshub tried to interview Hawke's Bay Civil Defence controller Ian Macdonald, but was told he is on leave this week. So Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst spoke on behalf of the Civil Defence group.
When asked if anyone would be held accountable, she said: "This isn't about people, it's about systems and processes... and about how we manage to bring all the parts of the emergency management system together. We know the system is broken for our region and the country."
New Emergency Management Bill on the cards
The inquiry is the second such review that's revealed a raft of issues, after a report by former police commissioner Mike Bush found the Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Emergency Coordination Centre "lacked situational awareness and intelligence about much of the danger and damage until too late".
The scope of the latest inquiry was much wider, and covered the emergency management for most of the North Island. It revealed that "communication and warnings were non-existent or insufficient", and "the capability and capacity of people and infrastructure was overestimated or lacking".
The panel was also "frustrated that many of these recommendations are not new and were suggested in previous reviews", from earlier weather events, but nothing has been done to implement them.
However, instead of fixing the existing emergency management legislation, the minister is committing to creating a completely new Bill.
"It is my intention to introduce a new Bill this term, alongside making system improvements that do not require legislative change," said Mitchell.
The inquiry is warning that even if fully implemented, their recommendations alone will not fix the problems. They're urging the Government to considerably boost its funding for councils and communities - as they only get $900,000.
"There'll be budgetary decisions, and those sit at Cabinet level. I can't speak to those now," he said.
