Most people remember their first day in the job, but for Constables Ethan Bauckman, Bailee Carr and Jacob Samuel their first shift as police officers will go down in the history books.
Napier constables Ethan and Bailee started their first shift on 14 February, as Cyclone Gabrielle battered the region, and quickly found themselves in the thick of the rescue efforts.
For Bailee, just getting to work was an effort, with navigating the mess of the roading network providing an eye-opening insight into what awaited.
“I wasn’t expecting that on the first day, I was expecting to do policing as usual.”
Both ended up in Taradale, where they helped evacuate residents from nearby rest homes.
Ethan says it was a good demonstration of why he joined Police - to help people. He just didn't expect to be so involved on day one.
The following day Ethan was patrolling when he and his partner were flagged down to help rescue a wheelchair-bound woman trapped in her house by fence-high water.
As well as creating a challenging work environment, Bailee and Ethan, like many of their colleagues, were also dealing with complications caused by the cyclone outside of work – Bailee couldn’t get home while Ethan says it was surreal having no communication with his family.
As new officers, with little experience on the radio, Ethan says it was an overwhelming experience.
“But in a situation like this I don’t think anyone is prepared, you’ve just got to get into it and get the job done.”
Bailee agrees.
“The first two weeks were pretty overwhelming, I’d never seen anything like this.”
In the weeks since they started, much of their work has focused around reassurance across the hardest hit areas, helping ensure people feel safe and are safe.
Bailee says they’ve noticed the positive impact of Police’s presence – “just being there puts their minds at ease,” she says.
Hawke's Bay Area Commander Inspector Lincoln Sycamore says the pair faced a first day on the job like no other, facing it with courage and doing an incredible job.
"It was all hands to the pump and Bailee and Ethan were part of the team who just got on with what had to be done in such extreme circumstances," says Lincoln.
Meanwhile, further north in Tairāwhati, Constable Jacob Samuel was starting his second shift – a late shift – the day the cyclone hit.
“It was pretty unreal – mobility was down and communication in general was limited. A lot of people began gathering in the foyer at the front of the station to ask questions so initially I got quite tied up with that.”
Jacob says they got out and about in the CBD before bridges closed, stranding them on the northern side of the city.
“Those who were out and about were quite scared. We got asked a lot of questions that we didn’t have answers for – particularly around communication and supplies.
"We were able to point people in the direction of refuge centres for any immediate needs.”
For Jacob, the enduring memory is the way Police came together in response to the cyclone.
“It made me feel reassured. Cops had come back in to work even though they were off duty – they were even volunteering to do stuff outside of uniform to assist. It made me feel proud to be part of such a connected team.”
Lincoln says the many deployments into Eastern since the cyclone, from districts all over the country, have been fantastic.
"The out of town support we have received continues to be crucial to the recovery effort and is allowing us to provided much needed ongoing support to our rural communities who have suffered so much."