Cyclone Gabrielle’s death toll in New Zealand has climbed to seven, as civil defence officials declare a major crisis in Gisborne.

Tairawhiti Civil Defence has asked tens of thousands of residents of Gisborne to stop using mains water as its water treatment facility has failed.

“This is a major crisis. Our city has no water. Don’t turn your taps on,” a statement read.

Two new deaths have been confirmed in the past 24 hours.

On Friday morning, police said a person died in floodwaters near Waiohiki, southwest of Napier.

News outlet Stuff reported the body was of a man in his 70s.

Waiohiki is wedged between two rivers – the Tutaekuri and the Ngaruroro – which burst their banks under huge rainfall on Tuesday.

On Thursday night, a sixth death was confirmed in Murawai, on Auckland’s hard-hit west coast.

The man, Craig Stevens, was a volunteer firefighter who was hospitalised on Monday after attending a house which then collapsed on him.

The same house collapse also killed fellow firefighter Dave van Zwanenberg, whose body was found on Wednesday.

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) chief executive Kerry Gregory said his crew were “still coming to terms” with the fact they’d lost two comrades.

“All of Fire and Emergency will feel his loss, and my heart goes out to his family,” he said.

A mother of a two-year-old who drowned in floodwaters in Eskdale, in Hawke’s Bay, has also given a heartbreaking public statement of grief for her lost child.

Ella Collins said water filled her home up to 10cm below the ceiling, with her partner Jack helping her and four-year-old daughter Imogen survive.

“Our wee Ivy was such a bright shining light,” mother Ella Collins wrote.

“We were not wealthy at all, but we lived such rich and love filled days.

“This tragedy has cost us everything; our home and everything in it.

“This loss of Ivy will deeply impact ourselves and many others forever. Right now it seems an insurmountable mountain, but we have each other.”

A Givealittle page for the family has raised more than $NZ110,000 ($A100,000) in two days.

The rising death toll comes as first responders eye a spell of good weather which will improve prospects for rescue teams and recovery.

Major efforts are being made across the country to restore power and transport links, with flooding, landslips and treefalls blocking many roads.

As access improves, authorities warn more bodies could be found as emergency services are able to access previously cut-off communities.

“We can expect that there will be further lives lost,” East Coast MP and Regional Development Minister Kiritapu Allan said.

Napier Port chief executive Todd Dawson told Stuff the defence force and police – who have sent huge resources into Hawke’s Bay – had also set up a temporary morgue at the port.

Alongside the loss, stories of heroism are emerging from the catastrophe.

Urban Search and Rescue team leader Ken Cooper from FENZ said a man walked 70km from Putorino to Napier to give rescue workers help with their missions.

“That’s a day and a half walk,” he told Radio NZ.

“He walked to give us a list of people still trapped up in the East Coast.”

A woman was killed in Putorino on Tuesday when a house collapsed on her under the weight of a landslip.