Cyclone Gabrielle devestated areas of the North Island claiming 11 lives. Photo: Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group
Five police officers received bravery awards for putting their lives on the line to save others during Cyclone Gabrielle.
The Police Association said 10 people, including a four-year-old child and an 8-month-old, were rescued by the officers in extremely dangerous conditions.
The citation noted Detective Sergeant Heath Jones and Detective Constable Jaime Stewart swam an exhausted elderly couple to safety through fast-flowing waters strewn with dead sheep and debris.
Jones and Stewart also worked to reach a detective sergeant who was trapped with her two children on a shed roof as flood waters quickly rose around them.
Elsewhere, Constables Patrick Noiseux, Mark Bancroft and Kurtis Maney all nearly drowned as they fought to get six people up into trees and hold them there until further help arrived.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said the people were beyond the reach of rescue teams in helicopters, jetboats or inflatable rescue boats and all could have died were it not for the officer's actions.
"These events are clear examples of how police officers put the lives of others ahead of the risks to themselves and their own whānau and they can be incredibly proud of how they responded to this tragic event," Cahill said.
"The communities these officers serve can also be very proud of them."
The awards were presented by former Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand in Wellington.