Ben calls in from Wairoa, the town torn apart by Cyclone Gabrielle

Gone By Lunchtime - A podcast by The Spinoff

A week after the cyclone ravaged swathes of the North Island, the northern Hawke's Bay community of Wairoa is still assessing the damage and slowly, piece by piece, reconnecting to the world from which it was isolated. Ben Thomas, who has been in Wairoa since before the storm hit, calls in to talk with Annabelle Lee-Mather and Toby Manhire about the experience, the response and the political ramifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices