Torrential rain closes schools

Pakowhai School was one of many schools that closed after torrential rain hit the region /Photo Duncan Brown

Hundreds of Hawke's Bay Students had no choice but to take a day off school today due to the heavy rainfall and gale force winds.

A total of 13 schools closed their doors due to the wind and heavy rain which hammered the North Island last night and over the course of today.

Haumoana School, Elsthorpe School Mohaka School, Pakipaki School and Pakowhai School announced closures early this morning as streams spilled over and slips began to tumble onto roads.

Other schools across the region followed suit, including Te Pohue, Meeanee, Tutira, Patoka, Pukehamoamoa, Lucknow, Omakere and Weber School.

A Ministry of Education spokesman said the closures affected hundreds of students across the Hawke's Bay region and thousands across the country.

"Ministry staff have been in contact with all schools/kura and ECEs in the regions to provide them with advice and support if needed."

Parents and caregivers were advised to contact the schools directly or check their websites or social media pages to see if the weather was going to cause closures of facilities in their area.

The Ministry of Education said the decision to close schools remained with of the board of trustees for each school and managers/owners for early learning services.

Weber School principal Janine Satchewell said they had to close the school early
this afternoon.

The School has 66 students and Satchewell said she had to phone parents and caregivers to pick up their children as they were worried about rising waters in the area.

A total of 2,557 Hawke's Bay students were affected overall by the torrential weather.

The Hawke's Bay region continued to stay wet throughout the day with 36 millimetres of rain measured at Hawke's Bay Airport and 67 millimetres measured in Hastings.

Wind speeds at times reached up to 75 kilometres an hour in the early hours of yesterday morning and continued into the middle of the day.

Metservice spokesperson Melissa Oosterwijk said the worst was over, but the bay was still expected to experience rain and showers over the course of tomorrow.

"10 millimetres of rain is a considerable amount to fall, especially if you're just experiencing steady rainfall throughout the day; so for areas like Napier and Hastings to experience rainfall of between 30-60mm is quite a lot."

The sub tropical front is now heading towards the Taupo region and will then head south.

Sunshine will be appearing by the end of the week to dry the region out, with both Friday and Saturday sitting at a mild 14 degrees with an overnight low of 3.