Northland was the first region in the country to declare a state of emergency in response to ex-tropical cyclone Vaianu.
Northland’s state of emergency has been lifted, however, people can expect more of the declarations as extreme weather ramps up, forecasts become more precise, and authorities seek to prepare for the worst.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group chair Colin Kitchen said that while some challenges remain, the region is in a position to transition out of emergency powers.
States of emergency have been declared three times already this year in Northland, most recently because of the threat of ex-tropical cyclone Vaianu.
While the region was impacted by flooding, power cuts and road closures over the weekend, the effect was not as severe as other recent events, including the January 18 storm which caused flooding and slips in Ōakura, or the March 26 weather event that led to evacuations in Kaitāia and Hokianga.
Northern Advocate readers had mixed reactions to the cyclone response, with some calling it “alarm peddling” and “a storm in a teacup”, while others said the weather is “constantly over-hyped”.
Others believed in the “better safe than sorry” approach and said it’s “better prepared than left stranded”.
Kitchen said local authorities would continue responding as adverse weather rolled in.
“These adverse weather events just keep coming at us,” Kitchen said.
“And we’re getting more accurate information from Niwa and forecasters.
“Just acting on that, I’m comfortable going into a declaration. It gives authorities more power.”
Northland was the first region in the country to declare a state of emergency on April 10.
The declaration was made after consultation with local councils and emergency services.
The following day, other regions declared states of emergency, including Waikato, Whakatāne, Tauranga, Ōpōtiki, Napier, Hastings and central and regional Hawke’s Bay.
However, Wairoa Mayor Craig Little refused, later calling his region’s response “woke” and saying: “I think it takes away the importance of a state of emergency”.
Kitchen, who spent 57 years in the fire service, said declarations weren’t taken lightly.
“A declaration helps us out; we’re more prepared.
“But we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t.
“If that thing had have hit us, it could have been like [Cyclone] Bola, and people would have been saying you should have declared.
“As chairperson, I made that declaration, and I would not hesitate to do it again.”
A state of emergency enables emergency services and Civil Defence staff access to additional powers to manage disasters that overwhelm normal emergency services, threatening life or property.
The most commonly-used emergency powers include:
Of these, enabling evacuations is often the key reason for an emergency declaration.
The state of emergency is in place for an initial period of seven days but can be lifted earlier.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group spokesman Zachary Woods said region-wide emergency declarations were relatively rare in Northland.
“Without a state of emergency, we can suggest people evacuate, but we aren’t able to make people leave.
“It’s putting the powers of preparation in place in case they’re needed.
“We’d rather have them and not need them ... than need them and not have them.”
Woods said there was a strong case put forward by forecasters including MetService “that the cyclone could have a severe impact on our region”.
“There was definitely an imminent threat that was there.
“We’ve had two red warnings this year, and the ground is saturated ... to underestimate the impact could have had dangerous implications for our communities.”
Two states of emergency were declared in Northland in 2023; in January as a precautionary step ahead of severe weather, and in February as Cyclone Gabrielle began to flood roads and damage properties.
Before that, the region had only had five since 1973.
Woods confirmed Northland had had more emergency declarations since Cyclone Gabrielle.
“If we get more weather events that warrant them, then we’ll get more [emergency declarations],” Woods said.
“It’s not something we take lightly – it’s something discussed at local and regional levels.
“We are seeing more impactful weather events more often.
“We also have more information available from forecasters that can better track systems and provide more forewarning.”
Woods acknowledged the declarations could be disruptive.
“We don’t want these weather events either, but we don’t have the luxury of taking an optimistic view.
“We have to plan for the worst-case scenario and provide the public with the most up-to-date information around the potential threat so they can prepare.
“Declaring a state of emergency is one tool in our toolkit to support our communities, and we want to use every tool to be as effective as we can.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading and social issues.