Key messages at 11:30am Tuesday 20 January 2026

• A Civil Defence team is on the ground at the worst-affected areas around Oakura in the Whangarei District to meet with the community and carry out welfare checks following the recent severe weather
• A heavy rain warning is in place until 2:00am Thursday 22 January 2026, with thunderstorms and localised downpours possible and further rain is forecast for tomorrow afternoon and evening. Places where heavy rain has fallen are more susceptible to flooding since the water cannot soak into the ground.
• The key message for the public in these areas is to spend some time preparing for any further severe weather and potential that may occur
• Mayor Ken Couper has visited some of the worst affected areas near Oakura this morning to see the damage first hand. Many homes have been inundated with floodwater, there have been numerous slips and damage to the waste water system
• Marae in the area are open and ready to help if people are displaced – a list of addresses is below.

With the forecast for heavy rain coming on top of recent rain, streams and rivers may rise rapidly and cause disruption in flood prone areas. Civil Defence are encouraging people to be prepared for severe weather that may arrive.

Surface flooding, slips and flood water are likely to close roads and disrupt travel. With high winds also forecast we may see trees down which can cause power outages and further hazards on the road.

Whangarei District Council and the Northland Civil Defence team are monitoring the situation in close contact with MetService and the Northland Regional Council’s hydrology team.

All three of Northland’s district councils, local emergency services and other key stakeholders are continuing to meet and we are all preparing to respond as necessary.

Advice for locals: Get supplies if you need them, get your grab bag ready with your phone, charge up batteries, have medicines and any other essential supplies ready if you need to evacuate.

If you own a holiday home in the affected area, please delay visiting until the weather event passes through.

Additional situation information:

• Roads: We currently have one section of road that is closed from a bridge collapse on Whangaruru North Rd. There are currently 77 known faults on the network from the event that include 49 Slips, 13 Flooding Sites, 9 Road Obstructions, 5 Fallen Trees & 1 Bridge Damaged. 
• Damage to homes: We know numerous homes that suffered from flood damage and yesterday 7 homes were assessed and 3 were issued Dangerous building notices

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