‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle

We present a critical analysis of news coverage during the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle in Aotearoa New Zealand. This disaster raised important questions surrounding emergency preparedness, infrastructural vulnerability, climate change, adaptation, future land-use policies and managed r...

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Main Authors: Luke Goode, Suzanne Woodward, Steve Matthewman, Peter Simpson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-04-01
Series:Kōtuitui
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/1177083X.2025.2455184
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author Luke Goode
Suzanne Woodward
Steve Matthewman
Peter Simpson
author_facet Luke Goode
Suzanne Woodward
Steve Matthewman
Peter Simpson
author_sort Luke Goode
collection DOAJ
description We present a critical analysis of news coverage during the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle in Aotearoa New Zealand. This disaster raised important questions surrounding emergency preparedness, infrastructural vulnerability, climate change, adaptation, future land-use policies and managed retreat. In the immediate aftermath, Cyclone Gabrielle was repeatedly framed as a ‘wake-up call’ demanding serious attention be given to the increasing risks from future extreme weather events. While media and public attention to Cyclone Gabrielle at the national level dropped rapidly once emergency conditions abated, the one-year anniversary saw major national news outlets renew attention to the disaster. In addition to commemorating lost lives and recognising the ongoing struggles of impacted communities, anniversary news coverage afforded a platform for reflective analysis of the disaster’s implications for the future that was not possible during the initial emergency phase a year earlier: it represented an opportunity to look back at the disaster in order to look forward. We evaluate how and to what extent this was taken up by four major national news outlets, identifying some significant limitations with potentially detrimental consequences for democratic future-making.
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spelling doaj-art-036702e6683e47df89ada93f29c19fab2025-08-20T03:05:22ZengTaylor & Francis GroupKōtuitui1177-083X2025-04-0120217720510.1080/1177083X.2025.2455184‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone GabrielleLuke Goode0Suzanne Woodward1Steve Matthewman2Peter Simpson3Communication (School of Cultures, Languages and Linguistics), Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Aotearoa New ZealandPublic Policy Institute, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Aotearoa New ZealandSociology (School of Social Sciences), Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Aotearoa New ZealandMedia and Screen (School of Humanities), Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, Aotearoa New ZealandWe present a critical analysis of news coverage during the one-year anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle in Aotearoa New Zealand. This disaster raised important questions surrounding emergency preparedness, infrastructural vulnerability, climate change, adaptation, future land-use policies and managed retreat. In the immediate aftermath, Cyclone Gabrielle was repeatedly framed as a ‘wake-up call’ demanding serious attention be given to the increasing risks from future extreme weather events. While media and public attention to Cyclone Gabrielle at the national level dropped rapidly once emergency conditions abated, the one-year anniversary saw major national news outlets renew attention to the disaster. In addition to commemorating lost lives and recognising the ongoing struggles of impacted communities, anniversary news coverage afforded a platform for reflective analysis of the disaster’s implications for the future that was not possible during the initial emergency phase a year earlier: it represented an opportunity to look back at the disaster in order to look forward. We evaluate how and to what extent this was taken up by four major national news outlets, identifying some significant limitations with potentially detrimental consequences for democratic future-making.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/1177083X.2025.2455184Cyclone Gabriellenewscritical future studiescritical disaster studiespublic sphere
spellingShingle Luke Goode
Suzanne Woodward
Steve Matthewman
Peter Simpson
‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
Kōtuitui
Cyclone Gabrielle
news
critical future studies
critical disaster studies
public sphere
title ‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
title_full ‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
title_fullStr ‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
title_full_unstemmed ‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
title_short ‘Don’t send us a cake, and then let us drown again’: remembering and forgetting Cyclone Gabrielle
title_sort don t send us a cake and then let us drown again remembering and forgetting cyclone gabrielle
topic Cyclone Gabrielle
news
critical future studies
critical disaster studies
public sphere
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/1177083X.2025.2455184
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AT stevematthewman dontsendusacakeandthenletusdrownagainrememberingandforgettingcyclonegabrielle
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