The following is a statement on behalf of the family of Susan Knowles.
Sue was a mother, sister, aunty, grandmother, and loving wife. Her grandkids called her Granna, she was a friend to many and loved by all.
In many ways she was larger than life and will be dearly missed.
Sue had a positive impact on so many people's lives, through her work and her hobbies outside of work.
We like to refer to her as an active relaxer, somebody who was always on the go and looking for her next adventure.
Our family would like to acknowledge and send our appreciation to everybody who has reached out and sent lovely tributes for Sue.
What the teams working on the ground are faced with, is by no means anybody's day to day work, and we will forever be appreciative of everything they have done in these unprecedented circumstances.
The digger operators, Police staff and Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue team have worked tirelessly in extremely challenging conditions.
These men and women have turned up day in, day out and worked extremely hard to bring Sue back to us.
We have formed so many great relationships with the teams over the last week and their efforts will have a lasting impact on our lives.
We want to express our appreciation for local iwi, everybody that has worked on site and the community for all their assistance, love, and support that we have been shown.
