TC Gabrielle

Alusio Kaloudau, a team leader of a Fijian Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) group, said they are staying in Flaxmere Community Centre in Hastings in Hawke's Bay on the east coast.

RNZ Pacific reports during and after the storm the group of 21 workers were forced to move into three different shelters.

Kaloudau said his team was told to "just relax" by one of the RSE caretakers when they arrived at the first shelter.

Pacific churches have been sanctuaries for Pacific RSE workers in the region, some of whom were clinging desperately to rooftops surrounded by raging waters during the height of the flooding.

RNZ reports Cyclone Gabrielle has robbed them of the few possessions they owned, but their faith remains.

Hastings Pasifika community leader Tofilau Talalelei Taufale said that RSE workers in the region are among those worst affected by the extreme weather events. He is currently on the ground, helping the workers who have been left homeless.