Nelson residents are still being urged to conserve water after a slip cut off the city's main supply following three days of intense rain.
The rain has caused the Maitai River to burst its banks and sent streams of water into roads.
There have been multiple slips across the region, including the one directly impacting the water supply. To make matters worse, the secondary water supply is being impacted by power outages.
Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty earlier told AM that more than 400 households have now been evacuated, with more than 60 considered uninhabitable.
In the Far North, meanwhile, flooding has closed four district roads - while State Highways remain shut in several places between Kawakawa and Kaitaia.
What you need to know:
- A red heavy rain warning remains in place for the Nelson District until at least 2pm on Saturday, with more severe downpurs expected on Friday evening
- The rain is expected to cause more dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips
- More than 400 properties have been evacuated in Nelson and more than 60 homes are unhabitable
- Nelson residents are being told conserve water and thousands of people are without power
- Emergency operations and coordination centres have been activated in Taranaki due to flooding, prompting some to self-evacuate their homes
- In the Far North, Kaitaia remains cut off by slips and flooding while there are also power outages in Northland
- Multiple North and South Island State Highways are either closed or affected by the wild weather
- Other severe weather warnings are in place throughout New Zealand.
5:00pm - A state of local emergency has been declared by Marlborough Mayor John Leggett after heavy rain and flooding.
Last night, the Rai River had its biggest flood on record, estimated as a 60-year event. Over 550mm of rainfall has been recorded at the Rai Falls so far, while Tunakino Valley has seen more than 760mm of rainfall since Tuesday.
Mayor Leggett said early assessments are the damage to Kenepuru Road, Queen Charlotte Drive, Croisilles Road going into Okiwi Bay, French Pass Road and Port Underwood Road could be worse than that in July last year.
"This declaration will ensure our emergency response team has all the resources it needs to effectively support those communities affected by the recent rain event," Mayor Leggett said.
"Communities in Canvastown and Rai Valley are currently cut off from Marlborough and Nelson due to flooding, slips and road damage. Access in and out of the Marlborough Sounds is also very fragile."
For a list of road closures around the region visit: www.marlborough.govt.nz/services/alerts?itemCategory
4:40pm - Wellington City Council has provided its latest update on the impact the wild weather has had.
- Onslow Road between Cashmere Avenue and Benares Street in Khandallah has reopened to traffic - however a 30km/h temporary speed limit is in place at the site of the slip subsidence between Cashmere Avenue and Benares Street. Three houses below the slip remain evacuated.
- Main Road in Tawa is expected to reopen this evening following work to clear the large slip between Victory Avenue and McLennan Street. A 30km/h speed limit will be in force in the vicinity of the slip.
- The Seatoun Tunnel has reopened following the removal of an unstable tree stump near the entrance today.
- The Terrace between Ghuznee Street and Buller Street remains closed to traffic following the large slip there last week. Geotechnical engineers are wating for dry weather before they make a call on the stability of the slip face.
- Birdwood Street between Chaytor Street and Messines Road in Karori is closed by a slip.
3:35pm - Waka Kotahi is urging drivers to show caution and patience on storm-damaged Northland roads.
"This is a major weather event, and the damage we are seeing in Northland from the heavy rain and strong wind is very significant," said Waka Kotahi national journey manager Helen Harris.
"Until the flood waters recede, we remain in emergency response mode, with the top priority ensuring the safety of road users. We need the rain to stop and the flooding to recede before we can do full damage assessments in many areas, and until those assessments have been completed it's too early to say how long the damage sustained will take to repair."
Harris said two state highways have been closed in the region due to flooding and slips, and Waka Kotahi is concerned that some people are ignoring clearly marked closures and choosing to drive on closed roads in dangerous conditions.
"When people choose to drive on these closed highways they not only put their own safety at risk, they make it more difficult for our contractors to do their vital work of assessing damage and beginning the huge job of planning repairs," she warned.
"They don't have time to be pulling vehicles out of flood waters when people decide a road closure doesn't apply to them. People should also realise that their insurance will be invalid for any damage sustained while driving on a road that has been closed."
2:38pm - Nelson has been told to expect another 130mm of rain overnight.
"Expect 130 to 190 mm of rain to accumulate about the ranges and 70 to 110mm elsewhere," MetService says.
"This rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding.
"Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities."
2:23pm - It's believed Nelson is "years away" from recovering from this weather event, Louverdis says.
"As we were driving, there were slips falling everywhere and, to be honest I don't know what that assessment will be - we're still in a response mode."
2:17pm - Louverdis says Civil Defence teams are mobilised to undertake further evacuations should they be required.
2:05pm - Speaking at the new briefing, Nelson/Tasman Civil Defence controller Alec Louverdis says heavy rain is expected later on Friday afternoon until at least 10am on Saturday.
He confirms more than 400 properties have been evacuated.
"The damage that I saw in Nelson was devastating," he says.
1:57pm - Here are the latest weather talking points from MetService:
- A red heavy rain warning continues to be active over the Nelson region, and the Bryant Range, until midday on Saturday
- Further rain is expected in all regions which have already been drenched this week, including Northland, Taranaki, Buller, Tasman, Nelson and Westland
- Rain eases in intensity but does not clear entirely this weekend, but the outlook for next week is for significantly drier weather in almost all areas.
1:55pm - Severe winter weather is wreaking havoc on the state of Aotearoa's roads.
Waka Kotahi says it has recorded seven events between 2018 and 2021 classed as "significant" - meaning they cost between $15 and $50 million in repairs - compared with just two significant events in the four years prior.
1:39pm - Nelson Civil Defence is providing an update at a press conference expected to start at 2pm. You'll be able to watch that live in the video above.
12:58pm - Pictured below is a landslide on Nelson's Cleveland Tce.
12:41pm - Below is the latest update from the Wellington City Council, as wet weather causes multiple slips in the region:
- City council staff and contractors are working at multiple sites around the city this morning as the wet weather continues to cause problems with landslips
- Main Rd in Tawa is closed by a large slip between Victory Ave and McLennan St - northbound traffic is being diverted via Victory Cres, Davidson Cres and Fyfie Ave. Southbound traffic is diverted to McClellan St, Duncan Tce and Tawa St
- Onslow Rd between Cashmere Ave and Benares St in Khandallah remains closed while engineers inspect subsidence caused by a landslip below the road yesterday. The slip has caused a section of the roadside to slump and there are concerns the subsidence may worsen. Three houses below the slip remain evacuated and the city council's welfare staff have arranged temporary accommodation for the occupants of two of the houses
- The Terrace between Ghuznee St and Buller St remains closed to traffic following the large slip there last week. Geotechnical engineers are wating for dry weather before they make a call on the stability of the slip face
- Birdwood St between Chaytor St and Messines Rd in Karori is closed by a slip
- The Seatoun Tunnel is again closed (it was closed earlier this month) due to the need to clear an unstable tree stump near the entrance
- More than 40 incidents have been reported around the city today, on top of about 20 incidents yesterday. They are mainly slips of various sizes, trees down and minor flooding
- Crews are prioritising work and focusing on clearing slips from arterial routes - this means motorists and pedestrians need to take care because some smaller slips may not be cleared today. Road users are urged to drive and ride to the conditions especially in hillier parts of the city where more slips may come down over the next few days.
12:29am - Taranaki's emergency management office has activated emergency and operations centres in the region.
"More than a metre of rain has fallen on Mount Taranaki causing significant flows down all rivers resulting in several families voluntarily evacuating their homes. Flooding, road closures, dangerous driving conditions, animal welfare concerns and fallen trees are still an issue.
"Don't wait for official warnings, if you see water rising, leave and don’t return until it is safe to do so. Be prepared with a grab bag packed with clothing, medication and essential supplies for each family member," Taranaki Civil Defence controller Todd Velvin says.
12:15pm - On the West Coast, Civil Defence says further rain is expected at the weekend but isn't expected to cause issues for ther region.
"Some of the partner agency support staff that were brought into the region to assist in the lead up to the weather have now been deployed to assist other impacted regions," controller Te Aroha Cook says.
"Emergency operation centres across the region, and the emergency coordination centre, will remain activated in monitoring mode and staff rostered throughout the weekend ready to respond if required."
12:14pm - Taranaki's Waitara High School has closed at midday due to wild weather in the region.
11:51am - Tasman's Farah Palmer Cup women's rugby clash against Hawke's Bay has been cancelled due to the wild weather.
Originally scheduled to be played at Trafalgar Park in Nelson on Saturday, the round six match will be scrapped - with the teams to receive two competition points each.
NZ Rugby (NZR) on Friday morning confirmed Trafalgar Park was being used by Civil Defence, which contributed to the decision to cancel the match.
"Rugby has understandably taken a back seat to the situation people in Nelson are facing due to the extreme weather in the Tasman region.
"We also considered rescheduling the match but, after confirming the result would not affect either team's chances of making the playoffs, both unions agreed cancellation was the appropriate course of action," NZR community rugby general manager Steve Lancaster said, noting efforts were made to change the game's venue - but road closures and flight unavailability made it impossible.
The news comes after the Miles Toyota secondary schools' rugby championship final between Nelson College and Christchurch's St Bede's College was also postponed.
11:46am - Far North power authority Top Energy has confirmed more than 400 customers are without power on Friday morning, with it not expected to be restored until the afternoon.
In Nelson, the number of people without power is in the thousands.
11:32am - Incredible images have emerged of a car submerged in water in the Northland settlement of Omapere. The car's driver was rescued by the local fire brigade.
11:05am - Kaitaia in the Far North has been cut off by slips and flooding.
The Far North District Council says Mangamuka Rd (slip), Paponga Rd (fallen tree), Pupuke-Mangapa Rd (flooding) and West Coast Rd (Kohukohu) (slip) are all closed.
10:48am - The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is urging Taranaki residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
"Waka Kotahi contractors are working to repair damage caused by the heavy rainfall such as slips, flooding and potholes and, with more severe weather expected, our crews will continue to monitor various sites across the region," NZTA says.
"If you do have to use the roads, check for road closures on the Waka Kotahi journey planner before you travel and stay alert for unreported hazards, such as surface flooding, slips, potholes, fallen trees or branches and downed powerlines.
"Please be mindful of our contractors who may be out clearing hazards off the road, drive to the conditions and adhere to all temporary speed restrictions."
10:44am - Luke Harrington, a climate change senior lecturer at the University of Waikato's Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, says it's unclear whether we'll start to see such weather systems more often.
"The big unknown this time round is whether the intense high pressure system sitting to the east of the country - which has allowed this atmospheric river to stall over the country and rain to persist - is something that we'll see more or less often during the winter in a warmer world," Dr Harrington says. "I'm not sure we have clear answer to that question yet."
10:35am - Back to the South Island, Buller Civil Defence says it will remain on standby at the weekend with more wild weather forecast.
The state of emergency will remain in place until at least Monday.
10:27am - Below is the latest update from the Far North District Council:
As of 9am today, four Far North district roads remain closed. Mangamuka Rd (slip), Paponga Rd (fallen tree), Pupuke-Mangapa Rd (flooding) and West Coast Rd (Kohukohu) (slip) are closed.
Another 15 roads are passable by suitable vehicles and with caution required.
State Highway 1 at Mangamuka Gorge and State Highway 10 at Hihi are also closed.
Trucks and vehicles with high road clearance can use State Highway 10 at Kāeo. However, this may change with high tide due early this afternoon.
- Council services current closures: All council service centres and libraries are open as normal
- Kaitāia: No homes needed to be evacuated overnight in Kaitāia. However, some Kaitāia residents did leave their homes to stay with friends and whānau overnight as a precaution. We will continue to monitor river levels today
- Three waters: all wastewater schemes, with the exception of Kāeo, are back to normal operation
- Water reservoirs are full. We don't expect any water outages in the next 12 hours.
Council's emergency operations centre is operating again from 8am.
We will continue to monitor the weather and coordinate response activities with the regional Civil Defence Emergency Management Group. Council staff are out in the district this morning responding to reports of flooding and assessing other hazards.
10:12am - State Highway 59 between Wellington's Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay has been closed due to a slip.
"Contractors are on site and working to clear the road. A geotechnical assessment is being carried out and the route is closed until further notice," NZTA says.
"Road users should avoid the area and use State Highway 1, Transmission Gully, as an alternative route.
"Wet weather continues to affect the wider Wellington region. Drivers are urged to drive to the conditions and take care on the roads."
9:41am - The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says efforts are underway to reopen Rocks Rd above Nelson's State Highway 6.
"However, it is expected to close again this evening when heavy rain is forecast," NZTA says.
"Work is underway to restore access for Atawhai residents affected by the closure of State Highway 6 between Nelson and Blenheim. There are a number of slips that need to be cleared before this area north of the city can be reopened to traffic."
9:27am - WeatherWatch says rain is expected to push back onto Nelson and Marlborough at about midday before becoming heavy later in the afternoon.
"Rain then moves down the West Coast this evening from the north becoming heavy," the forecaster says.
"A front pushes over New Zealand from the west tomorrow, northerlies ahead of the front then changing west to northwest in behind.
"Western regions see the bulk of the rain on Saturday including Nelson and Marlborough first thing."
9:05am - Below is the latest advice from Nelson/Tasman Civil Defence:
- Conserve water please
- Respect the cordons. They are for your safety
- Nelson businesses: please consider closing early - we want to avoid lots of workers on the roads this afternoon if at all possible
- Homeowners: Please check for landslips on and around your property.
8:45am - The Nelson City Council is advising residents to continue conserving water throughout Friday.
"Unfortunately, the main water supply line from the Maitai Reservoir to Nelson city failed overnight," the council says. "While we still have a secondary pipe supplying water it's at a much-reduced flow rate and water is at a reduced capacity."
8:30am - Earlier, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty told AM support will be available for those most affected by the flooding.
"For those people whose homes have been deemed uninhabitable, that's a long journey they face so support will be provided in terms of basic provisions, accommodation, clothing etc until they're ready to return home."
8:05am - Another bout of heavy rain is expected in Nelson on Friday afternoon.
"Rain has temporarily eased overnight. However, there is more rain coming from 3pm this afternoon and Saturday," Nelson/Tasman Civil Defence says.
"With the forecasted rain in the Nelson region, we may see peak flows in the Maitai River at a similar level to those seen in the past two days.
"Many road closures remain in place, so we once again ask you to avoid travel today if you can."
7:50am - In Taranaki, bad weather is causing multiple transport issues and motorists are being urged to take care.
"These issues include motorists hitting potholes due to a lack of visibility and surface flooding," police said.
7:46am - Further down the South Island, orange heavy rain warnings remain in place for Marlborough Sounds and Buller.
"This warning now covers a period of heavy rain from late Friday afternoon (5pm) to Saturday afternoon (2pm)," MetService says.
"Note, this next period of heavy rain may lead to more surface flooding and slips due to the ground already being saturated from recent heavy rain."
7:40am - An emotional Nelson resident has detailed the toll the wild weather has taken on her describing it as "hell on earth" after being evacuated from her home.
Katie Marie Bryant-Rudolph was evacuated from her home on Wednesday and told AM there is about 1.5m of rain throughout her house on Nile St.
Click here to watch the full interview.
7:30am - With further rain forecast, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty says more issues could arise for the Nelson region.
"The concern now is the saturation of the soil," he told AM.
7:14am - Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty has told AM more than 60 homes in Nelson are uninhabitable.
7am - Katie Marie Bryant-Rudolph, who has been living in Nelson for just three days, told AM host Melissa Chan-Green her house is 1.5m under water - and was also affected by flooding on the West Coast last year.
"We lost all our cows last year... 1200 of them, so this year's been a bit of a replay, I guess you could say," she said. "The universe works in amazing ways."
6:45am - Nelson residents are being urged to conserve water immediately - with the city's main supply completely cut off.
Resident Katie Marie Bryant-Rudolph, who's house is full with water, said the scale of the clean-up is massive.
"It's going to be hell on Earth," an emotional Bryant-Rudolph told AM host Melissa Chan-Green. "There's going to be people who wake up today, and for many more days, with tears in their eyes."
6:42am - The North Island, meanwhile, is still in the firing line of the bad weather with an orange heavy rain warning for large parts. The warning is in place for Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Bay of Plenty, Waikato south of Raglan, Waitomo, Taumarunui, North Taranaki, Tongariro National Park and Mount Taranaki.
MetService warns heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, surface flooding and slips are possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.
A strong wind watch is in place for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Taranaki, Whanganui and Taihape and a heavy rain watch is also in place for Waikato, Taupo and Taihape.
But there is good news on the horizon, with MetService forecasting the weather to ease over the weekend with mostly fine conditions on Sunday for both the North and South Islands.
6:40am - A red heavy rain warning remains in place for the Nelson District until at least 2pm on Saturday with MetService warning of another 190mm of rain.
"This next period of heavy rain could lead to more surface flooding and slips due to the ground already being saturated from recent heavy rain," the forecaster said.
An orange heavy rain warning remains in place for the Tasman District west of Motueka, the Tararua Range, Marlborough Sounds, Buller and Westland.
MetService said these areas could see up to 160mm of rain, which could lead to more surface flooding and slips due to the ground already being saturated from recent heavy rain.
The wild weather caused carnage on Thursday with over 300 homes evacuated in the Nelson-Tasman region.
6:37am - Speaking to TVNZ's Breakfast on Friday morning, Nelson City Mayor Rachel Reese said a total of 411 homes have been evacuated.
Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty said on Thursday that 104 houses had been assessed and, of those, roughly 20 percent have been yellow or red stickered.
McAnulty also announced a $200,000 contribution to the mayoral relief fund across the Nelson-Tasman region to provide welfare assistance straightaway.
NIWA said an "atmospheric river" is behind this week's heavy rain, while MetService added a slow-moving complex trough of low pressure is covering New Zealand.
