Kiribati fisherman swept away in Mahurangi River, wife clings to hope

A Kiribati man swept away in floodwaters north of Auckland is being remembered by his wife as a strong and capable fisherman who knew the ocean long before he ever set foot in New Zealand.

The 47-year-old was travelling to work early Wednesday morning when the car he was in was swept into the Mahurangi River at a flooded crossing on Falls Road, near Warkworth. Search efforts were suspended overnight, with police yet to locate either the man or the vehicle.

His wife, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the couple moved to New Zealand from Kiribati in 2023, bringing their four children with them in search of work, stability and a future for their family.

Back home, her husband had spent his life on the water.

“He was a fisherman in Kiribati. He knows how to swim. He has seen big waves, been in canoes and knows how to dive,” she told RNZ.

That lifetime of experience is what she is holding onto now, as search teams battle high water levels and dangerous conditions.

“I know his personality is strong, wise… and he’s religious,” she said. “That’s why I still have hope.”

The man had been travelling his usual route to work with his nephew, who had only arrived in New Zealand in December. Both men worked at Southern Paprika, a company specialising in greenhouse vegetables.

The wife said she was asleep when police arrived at her door, accompanied by her nephew, who had managed to escape the vehicle and reach land.

“The police came with my nephew… it’s horrible. I think I lose my breathing,” she told RNZ.

“I just have time to grab my nephew and hug him strongly, and I thank God for keeping him alive.”

She said both men were swept into the water when the car was taken by the current. Her husband managed to push his nephew toward a branch, helping him survive.

“When he held on the branch, he called, ‘Uncle please come and grab on my leg and both go to the land,’” she said.

“Then my husband tried to grab, but then he knows that he’s so heavy… he untied his hand and says, ‘Go on, go and find life, while I’m going to swim this way and find another branch.’”

Extended family and friends have been searching along the riverbanks, describing the missing man as kind, hardworking and deeply devoted to his family.

One relative told RNZ he was the sort of person who hated being late and believed that mindset may have driven him to attempt the flooded crossing.

Another family member said he often took on both parenting roles at home while his wife studied.

“He’s a great dad. He always helps his wife and his kids,” she said.

Fire and Emergency were called to the flooded crossing at about 7.51am on Wednesday. Around 20 people, including police, firefighters, helicopters, drones and whitewater rafters, took part in the initial search.

Police say water levels remained too high on Thursday to resume a full ground search, although aerial checks continued.

Waitematā North Police Senior Sergeant Carl Fowlie said officers were in close contact with the family.

“We acknowledge they must be going through a very uncertain and upsetting time while he remains missing,” he said.

For now, his wife remains at home with their children, drawing on faith, community support and the belief that the skills her husband learned on the waters of Kiribati may yet bring him back to them.

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