With chairman Tom Pinckney overseas at the time, Mr Hunt said his first thought "started with B – and it wasn’t bugger!"
By the next day the extent of the damage was realised and the Rural Advisory Group quickly mobilised.
"This is a mixture of different groups that have a vested interest in supporting rural businesses — from the Ministry for Primary Industries, Red Cross, welfare and Rural Support Trust," Mr Hunt said.
The group co-ordinated a plan, identifying where each organisation could contribute most effectively.
For the Trust, that meant getting people on the ground to source generators and match them with those phoning the 0800 support line with no power.
"Our volunteers spent a lot of time on the road transporting generators to those in need and then shifting them around to other locations," Mr Hunt said.
"It was a huge team effort across the organisations and the response was well executed. We already had our systems up and running so things were streamlined and it meant we could make a difference relatively quickly."
Once the immediate response settled, Mr Hunt said the Trust was involved in delivering care packages to some of the hardest-hit areas. Put together by a network of rural businesses and professionals, the parcels were distributed by the staff across those organisations as well as volunteers.
"It was good to drive up people’s driveways and talk one-on-one with them, hear their personal stories," he said. "We also identified one household that was in pretty serious need of extra support and this was sorted quickly, which was very satisfying to be part of."
Mr Hunt said the storm served as a strong reminder for rural businesses to build resilience and be prepared for future natural disasters.
Having a household generator — and a larger one for dairy farms — along with ensuring homes are wired to plug a generator straight in, were key steps. Starlink satellite internet, once power was on at the modem, offered the most reliable connection and a back-up source of heating and cooking not reliant on electricity was also essential.
He believed there was an opportunity for small communities and catchment groups to collaborate, forming shared inventories of equipment and services to strengthen local resilience.
"If a major natural disaster were to occur, we may find supplies such as fuel and food are cut off for a long period of time," Mr Hunt said.
"So it pays to think about all this ahead of time and how you would get through," he said.
