A fresh state of emergency has been declared in the Nelson Tasman region this afternoon.
Tasman Mayor Tim King said the state of emergency was a pre-emptive move, due to the existing conditions in the region after the recent severe weather.
He said the declaration meant the response to any incoming weather tomorrow could be swift, to try to minimise the impact on people and property.
Nelson Tasman Emergency Management had been activated and would be monitoring the incoming weather.
⚠️State of Emergency declared in the Nelson Tasman region⚠️ At 4:47 pm on Thursday 10 July 2025, Tasman District...
Posted by Nelson Tasman Civil Defence on Wednesday, July 9, 2025
King said stock should be moved to higher ground and people should keep clear of waterways.
“Care needs to be taken around trees, as there is the chance of trees toppling with strong winds and the existing sodden ground conditions,” he said.
“It is recommended that people stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel, as road conditions will be slippery.”
Forecasters are warning of a fresh batch of rain that is due to slam already drenched areas of the country tomorrow.
The Marlborough District Council says residents in low-lying areas should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice as more rain threatens to fall.
Meanwhile, Auckland and Northland residents are being warned to expect heavy rain and strong, blustery winds to hit during peak commute times tomorrow morning.
😵💫 While this animation might look like chaos, it's really not
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) July 9, 2025
🌀 This shows what's called vorticity (spin) at approximately 5500 metres above ground level
This spin aloft can create low pressure at the surface, and it helps to show why NZ's upcoming weather will be so active pic.twitter.com/LGVBNL7FPJ
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said the service’s main focus as this weather system crosses over is the top of the South Island.
“If we hadn’t had the last few weather systems that we’ve had over the last couple of weeks, it wouldn’t be so much of an issue, but it’s another burst, although relatively short, but quite heavy for around that sort of 12-hour period on to very saturated soil.
“So if you’ve read the warnings, we do have a moderate or high risk of upgrade to a red warning.
“So by that, we’re talking about the likelihood of impacts has been heightened by the rain that we’ve seen recently.”
A state of emergency for the Tasman region was lifted on Monday after it was inundated with floodwaters caused by last week’s heavy rainfall, described by local authorities as a “one-in-100-year event”.
Homes were left uninhabitable, roads damaged and properties were flooded.
Nearly 650 properties in the region were assessed, with the owners of 90 of those encouraged to seek further support.
Last week, the Government unlocked extra support for flood-affected farmers and growers, making up to $100,000 available to support and co-ordinate recovery efforts.
Marlborough Emergency Management group manager Matt Kerr said there was a risk some situations could be exacerbated in already fragile areas.
“We want to get advice out to our communities, including Spring Creek, Rārangi, Northbank, Kenepuru Rd and Port Underwood, that readiness remains important.
“Although Friday evening’s weather is predicted to move through quickly, we encourage people to take stock of their preparedness, remain in touch with friends and whānau and to have plans in place for safety and support.”
Ferris said that for Auckland, there was the potential for heavy rain during the morning commute tomorrow.
He said the heavy rain would be coupled with “strong, blustery winds” and would also affect Northland.
“These are regions that have seen plenty of rain recently. So it’s that idea that those impacts, like surface flooding or maybe even some slips, could just come about a bit quickly.”
Ferris said rain is also forecast for areas further down the country in Taranaki, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The rainfall accumulations aren’t shaping up to be as large but are not completely out of line with potential severe weather, Ferris said.
🟠 Severe Weather Update🟡
— MetService (@MetService) July 9, 2025
Heavy rain and strong winds move in on Friday.
A lot of this rain will be falling on saturated soils so impacts will come about faster.
Rapidly rising rivers, surface flooding and potential slips.
Get all the details here: https://t.co/HZ2TSD5rV7 pic.twitter.com/eDNODngBBj
A heavy orange rain warning has been issued for Northland and Auckland for 16 hours from 6am tomorrow, and Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato for 15 hours from 11am tomorrow.
A heavy orange rain warning has also been issued for Mt Taranaki from 11am to midnight tomorrow; Nelson, about and southeast of Motueka and north of Lake Rotoroa from 9am tomorrow to 1am Saturday; Marlborough, northwest of the Awatere Valley from 9am tomorrow to 1am Saturday; and Tasman District northwest of Motueka from 9am to 9pm tomorrow.
A heavy rain watch has been issued for Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua from 1pm tomorrow, Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupo from 2pm tomorrow and Taranaki north of the mountain from 11am tomorrow.
An orange strong wind warning has been issued for Taranaki south of the mountain from midday tomorrow, and a strong wind watch has been issued for Taihape, Whanganui and Banks Peninsula for tomorrow afternoon.
Looking forward to the weekend, Ferris said the weather is not going to improve.
“As we move through Saturday, it looks like the band of rain, bringing that severe weather, has moved off to the east, but we do hold on to a quite showery, messy weather situation through the weekend.
“Most of that weather is for western areas, but it’s not as though many people should expect a sort of picture-perfect weekend after the rain on Friday.”
Kiwi comedian Chris Parker was forced to cancel a show in Nelson this evening when his plane was unable to land at the city’s airport.