After the Storms: The local leaders who held Auckland together

In the aftermath of Auckland’s storms, recovery didn’t just happen through official channels. Across the region, everyday people stepped into leadership roles - often without titles, funding or formal support. 

They checked on neighbours, opened community spaces, coordinated food and supplies, shared critical information, helped families find temporary accommodation, and provided reassurance in an uncertain time. 

Nearly three years later, many of those same people are still supporting their communities, advocating for recovery needs, strengthening local connections, and helping their neighbourhoods prepare for what lies ahead. 

Creating strong community infrastructure 

“We talk a lot about roads, pipes and houses after disasters, but communities are critical infrastructure too,” says Linda Greenalgh, Head of Community & Social Recovery for the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office. 

“Since 2023, we’ve seen that when people already know each other and know how to work together, recovery doesn’t stall. People organise faster, advocate more effectively, and support one another for the long haul.” 

Linda says the recovery also exposed a gap. 

“While saw extraordinary leadership emerge, we also saw how much people were carrying, often while dealing with their own loss or displacement. These leaders held their communities together through the hardest moments but there was nothing designed to support them to pause, connect, and build what came next. 

“That’s why we created Adapting Together - to back these leaders and invest in the capability communities will rely on next time.” 

“This programme was intentionally different,” says Ana Christmas, Leadership NZ’s co-facilitator. 

“We designed Adapting Together to meet them where they were, recognising the real leadership they’d already shown, and the emotional weight they’d been carrying alongside it.” 

Over a series of in-person sessions, space was created to reflect, share experiences, and learn from one another - while building skills in collaboration, communication and advocacy. It combined practical tools with peer support, helping participants strengthen their leadership while staying grounded in their 'why’.  

“These are people who lead from the heart,” Ana explains. “They’re deeply grounded in who they are, why they show up, and who they’re there for. 

“For many, it was the first chance to pause and reflect on their own experience of the storms after months, and in some cases years, of putting others first.”