New Zealand Cyclone Gabrielle aftermath: Looters warned, 3000 missing as death toll climbs to 11

The death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle has climbed to 11 with thousands of people still missing in the wake of the catastrophic storm that hit New Zealand as local workers report being held up at gunpoint. 

The category two cyclone left a trail of devastation from the northern tip of the country down the North Island's east coast after it made landfall on February 12.

In the especially hard-hit Hawke's Bay region, police on Sunday confirmed another two cyclone-related deaths bringing the overall toll of those known to have perished to 11.

However, there are still 3,000 people yet to be located with large areas cut off by flood waters or damage with continued power and communication outages.

One of the missing people is Joseph Ahuriri, 40, a dad to eight kids, who has not been in contact with his partner Clarissa Poi since Monday night.

A house lays destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle in the Esk Valley near Napier in New Zealand's North Island with the toll of the devastating storm having climbed to 11

Mr Ahuriri, who was visiting family in Hawke's Bay had been on the road when the Gabrielle struck and decided to weather the story in a motel in Napier but has not been heard of since.

'It's been seven days since I last spoke with him and my heart breaks every minute that passes,' Ms Poi told the New Zealand Herald. 

Ms Ahuiriri said she had been able to travel to Napier and she knows Mr Ahuriri checked out of the hotel on Tuesday morning. 

'I'm desperate, like many, for answers but in my case, my partner doesn't have a residing address in Napier or Hawke's Bay and I'm fearing the worst but still ever so hopeful,' she said.

'I have to return home to our kids who are just as worried and I can't bear to look at them and say "I didn't find daddy".'

Joseph Ahuriri (pictured right) is a father of eight who has not been in contact with his partner Clarissa Poi (pictured front left) for nearly a week

Hawke's Bay police said 9,000 people in the region had been forced to evacuate their homes with 100 of those uncontactable on Monday.

Around 1,900 evacuees were still sheltering in civil defence centres.

Meanwhile there are reports looters and gangs have been running riot in the post-storm chaos with road workers having had guns pointed at them.

Hawke's Bay residents have been putting up roadblocks to stop the thieves getting into their suburbs with police so far arresting 42 people.

Traffic manager Ryan Lawson told New Zealand website Newsroom that his crew had a pistol and sawn-off shotgun levelled at them as tried to divert traffic during road repairs.

'Honestly for us it was a very, very scary moment and that crew just had to up and leave,' he said. 

New Zealand Army vehicles have been mobilised to help support recovery efforts and keep law and order with reports of looters and gangs running riot

Police Minister Stuart Nash has been forced to defend his comments that  'now is not the time' for gangs to take advantage of storm victims.

Asked by a radio host when the 'right time' was to commit crime the minister replied: 'There is no right time'.

'Police are onto this and, as a community, we won't stand for such behaviour by gangs,' Mr Nash said.

An extra 100 police officers have been sent to the Hawke's Bay region to regain law and order. 

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has labelled Gabrielle the nation's biggest natural disaster this century. 

'The true extent of the devastation and loss become clearer with every passing day,' the prime minister said. 

'This is an unprecedented event. Be kind, be patient. You’ll get through this.' 

A flooded scene in Hawke's Bay, one of the hardest hit areas in New Zealand by the cyclone

Affected areas are stills suffering telecommunications failures, shortages of fresh water with damaged roads restricting access.

Supply chains have been disrupted leading to shortages in some good while many crops had been destroyed with 28,000 homes were still without power. 

Emergency authorities and the military have been dropping critical supplies from helicopters to communities stranded as farm buildings have been washed away along with bridges and livestock.

Australia has sent an emergency relief crew of 27 workers and there have been international aid and assistance offers from 12 other countries.