Civil Defence has defended its decision to include Rotorua in last month’s state of emergency after the district was left largely unscathed by the deadly storm that struck the wider region.
Rotorua, along with the entire Bay of Plenty region, was placed under a local state of emergency on the afternoon of January 21, with a red MetService warning for heavy rain in place.
Residents received Civil Defence emergency messages on their phones urging them to avoid all non-essential travel and to act quickly in the event of flooding.
The weather caused devastation across coastal Bay of Plenty.
Two people died after an early morning landslide destroyed their home on Welcome Bay Rd, Pāpāmoa on January 22.
Six people, including Rotorua residents Susan Knowles and Jacqualine Wheeler, died after a landslide from Mauao hit the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park later that morning.
At the time of the emergency declaration, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell said that decision had been “out of my hands” and she believed there was “no cause for concern” in Rotorua based on weather predictions.
After the event, Tapsell told Local Democracy Reporting the loss of life in coastal communities had been “deeply saddening” and offered the council’s “heartfelt condolences to all those affected”.
She said council staff and regional flood teams had established “early on” that Rotorua was not likely to be severely affected by the storm.
“Declaring a Civil Defence emergency is one of the most serious decisions a mayor can make and is only done when there’s risk to life, property and public assets from an event,” Tapsell said.
“Initially I was concerned about the confusion it would cause Rotorua residents and visitors,” she said.
Tapsell said she had concerns about the impact on high-profile local sports events and the end of the school holidays.
“We didn’t want people thinking we weren’t safe in Rotorua.”
She said it was “important”, however, that the district was ready to support coastal communities if needed.
“A region-wide declaration was supported instead as this allowed additional powers for rapid responses and resources to be available if needed across the region.”
As a result, Rotorua Lakes Council activated its Emergency Operations team to monitor weather, check infrastructure and engage with communities – particularly Ngongotahā, which had seen past flooding – while managing risks like slips, flooding and downed power lines.
The state of emergency was lifted for Rotorua on Tuesday last week, but it remains in place in Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty and Ōpōtiki.
Tapsell said the council continued to work with regional authorities to support recovery efforts while remaining prepared for any further emergencies.
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence and Emergency Management Group controller James Jefferson said the decision to declare a state of emergency for the entire Bay of Plenty region was made by the group after receiving support from local mayors.
“Deciding if a district should be excluded from a regionally declared local state of emergency is not directly reliant on whether a particular region will experience direct impacts of the severe weather,” Jefferson said.
A regional declaration gave controllers and agencies “extraordinary powers” to close roads or public places, secure dangerous structures and provide first aid, food or shelter, he said.
It also allowed for resources from less impacted places to be “requisitioned to support or aid another district within the Bay of Plenty region”.
Jefferson backed the call to include Rotorua in the declaration.
“People can still go about their daily business [under a state of emergency], but it is good practice to remain aware of potential impacts in surrounding towns and cities.”
The group had not received any “direct complaints” regarding the state of emergency.
Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.