The end of daylight saving will come with a loud audio warning for people living in Napier city and Hastings coastal towns as Civil Defence emergency warning systems are tested in those areas this Sunday.
In Napier, 16 emergency sirens will be activated around the city while, in Hastings, seven emergency vehicles will be dispatched to Whirinaki, Clive, Haumoana, Te Awanga and Clifton as well as the residential areas of Whakatu and Waimarama.
The Napier sirens will be activated at noon for about five minutes and, upon hearing the sound, residents will be asked to tune to their local radio station to listen to the Civil Defence broadcast message.
In Hastings, the seven vehicles will be on duty from 11am to 1pm. The cars will feature the new "stinger alert" audio system. which includes the Civil Defence emergency tone followed by a voice message, which could be changed to suit the emergency.
The stinger alert has a voice range of 200 metres in still conditions while the siren can be heard up to 500 metres from the vehicle.
The new warning system was developed after residents from the Hastings coastal communities said they were worried about how they would be alerted in case of an emergency.
The aim of the exercises in Napier and Hastings is to check the emergency messages and sirens can be heard clearly.
Hastings District Council is asking people in the test areas to fill out response forms which have been delivered to their letter boxes or they can complete the form online.
The feedback will help ensure the most effective coverage of the coastal areas is achieved during an emergency.
The New Zealand Fire service is also using the exercise to remind people to check the batteries in their home smoke alarms.
The two exercises also mark the completion of the new Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management headquarters.
The office had been at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in Napier but has been relocated to the Hastings District Council Civil Defence building on Lyndon Rd East.
Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management group manager Ian Macdonald said the move would provide a dedicated emergency management centre for the region.
Its role will be to co-ordinate the response across the region's emergency agencies and councils. It could house all of the organisations involved in a Civil Defence emergency.
"The building we're in now has been earthquake strengthened, has its own generators and satellite communications if required, so we are now better prepared to respond to an emergency," Mr Macdonald said.
The group will maintain an alternate centre at the regional council office in Napier to provide a two-base option if needed in an emergency.