Nelson Tasman Region To Transition To Recovery On Thursday 17 July 2025
The State of Emergency will expire and The Notice of Local Transition period, under Section 94B of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, takes effect at 4.47pm on Thursday 17 July 2025 and ends on Thursday 14 August 2025 unless it is extended or ends before then.
Mayor King extended his thanks to all the agencies, community groups and volunteers who had supported the Nelson Tasman Emergency Management response.
"For the second time in three weeks we're transitioning to recovery. Our community has faced two major weather events, and we have seen significant impacts across the region. While we are moving from a state of emergency, this transition period means that support continues to be available to those affected.
"A big thank you to everyone involved, including the many in our community who have supported, and continue to support, their friends, whānau, and neighbours.
"Our partner agencies have once again stepped up to support our communities in times of need. We're especially grateful to those who offered assistance from outside our region, thank you for your continued generosity and commitment."
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith was encouraged by the shift to the transition period.
"The timing is right this Thursday for us to move from the state of emergency from last Friday's storm to the transition phase of recovery. The major outstanding impact on Nelson is the closure of Rocks Road. Good progress is being made on stabilising the cliff and I am hopeful of it re-opening by the end of the week. Nelson by the weekend will be back to normal and fully open for business.'
Using Scoop for work?
Scoop is free for personal use, but you'll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.
Join Pro Individual Find out more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
6 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Te Puke residents demand council action on frequent flooding
Peter Willis' land borders the stream. He said there had been six large flooding events since 2022. The worst was the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods in 2023 when his paddocks were underwater and water reached halfway up his shed, about 1.5m high, he said. Willis grazes sheep in the paddock but moves them to a neighbour's land if flooding was likely. He no longer used the shed after numerous floods, and had not rebuilt damaged fences as they would get knocked down by water and debris. It would cost $60,000-$70,000 to relocate the shed, Willis said. 'We stress every time it rains, we're all out here at midnight. 'These last three rain events, we were all out here with torches checking how the creek's going.' Peter Willis' Raymond Ave land on the Ōhineangaanga Stream in Te Puke floods during heavy rain. Photo / Brydie Thompson Willis believed the new Te Mania subdivision on nearby Dunlop Rd, which started in 2022, contributed to the flooding because its stormwater drained into the stream. Willis and other residents want the Western Bay of Plenty District Council to build a stopbank for the stream to alleviate flooding. Kate King and her neighbours also wanted regular maintenance to keep the culvert downstream clear. The residents warned the council about the logs and debris blocking the culvert before the January 2023 flooding, but it wasn't cleared, she said. One of her neighbours was 'constantly' calling if the culvert was blocked and being told it would be cleared in two or three weeks, King said. Kate King worries for her elderly neighbours because their properties flood from the nearby stream. Photo / Brydie Thompson 'It's not good enough when they know that the area is prone to flooding. 'Every time it has flooded, it has flooded because they [the council] have not responded to the fact that there has been a blockage of the culvert.' King's property was far enough from the stream that it was less likely to flood, but she worried for her elderly neighbours, some of whom lived alone. During the January 2023 event the water flooded a car on an elevated driveway at least 200m from the stream, she said. Before the Dunlop Rd subdivision, their properties had never been so threatened by floods, King said. The water would rise no further than a fence near the driveway. Silt and debris left on the Muir Place right-of-way after the nearby stream flooded in January 2023. Photo / Supplied Bev Steenson said she and three other neighbours were in their 80s. One slept with a suitcase under her bed in case she needed to evacuate. 'It's not how you want to live your retirement. We don't particularly want to lose our assets or our sense of peace. 'We are in an immediate need of some sort of protection for our houses.' Roy Ogle's property runs along the Muir Place side of the stream. He has lost fences and had to redo his driveway after flooding. His neighbour's properties needed to be safeguarded, but he said a stopbank would cost millions and he believed the chances of getting one were 'zilch'. Roy Ogle wants action from the council to alleviate flooding. Photo / Brydie Thompson Ogle suggested a gabion basket wall replace the wooden fence at the edge of the driveways to prevent water reaching homes. Council asset management team lead James Abraham said the Ōhineangaanga Stream and nearby properties had always been susceptible to flood hazards. Extensive hydraulic modelling was done to assess the effects of the Te Mania subdivision, which was accepted by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, he said. The modelling showed the development would not cause increased flood depth in the surrounding area. The council aimed to respond to blocked stormwater culverts within 10 days, and had an eight-hour average response time over the past four years, he said. Flooding at Roy Ogle's Muir Place property in May 2023. Photo / Supplied 'Our approach is to proactively inspect culverts and open drains at least every six months, clear debris as it accumulates, and respond promptly to service requests.' The upstream catchment was rural and included kiwifruit orchards and forestry operations that could contribute 'significant' slash and debris during storms. 'This is a challenge faced by many councils across New Zealand.' The council focussed on protecting homes from flooding. Sheds were not a priority, Abraham said. Specific mitigation works had not been funded through the council's Long-Term Plan, but council had agreed to investigate what options might be feasible for the area, he said. This included assessing the effectiveness and cost of stopbanks or other interventions including those suggested by residents, Abraham said. A Te Mania spokesperson said the completed stages and those under-construction were designed and approved in line with the relevant district and regional council standards. All development stormwater discharge was approved by the district council before construction, and construction stormwater was managed in line with regional council requirements, they said. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Mental health support needed for flood victims: advocate
People in the Tasman region will need long-term mental health support after devastating winter floods, a mental health advocate says. Locals have endured two flood emergencies and repeated orange heavy rain warnings in recent weeks. The Nelson Tasman region is again under a heavy rain warning until at least 10pm today. Nelson Tasman Emergency Management duty group controller Rob Smith told RNZ's Checkpoint programme today that residents are tired, and the current weather system would typically not be one to worry about if it were not for the previous flood damage. The Rural Support Trust says many already flood-affected residents were also feeling very anxious as more heavy rain fell. Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson says when disaster strikes, people were usually in a more practical mode, adrenaline pumping, and doing what they needed to do to respond. It was the aftermath that could leave some people feeling depressed, hopeless or isolated - a natural human response to a very difficult situation, he said. "It's then when you have to look at the aftermath and the fact that things are not going to go back to the way they were, that can be really difficult and that's when it can really start to affect people's mental health and well-being. "People need to really create a new sense of what living in that place is going to be about." Robinson described what was happening in Tasman as an "ongoing natural disaster" rather than separate floods. Community connections made a big difference. "What we've seen and what farmers and rural people have told us from the Cyclone Gabrielle experience [in 2023], was that it was communities continuing to work together that made the difference to them continuing to have hope and a sense of not being alone in this, and therefore boosting their resilience and mental well-being," he said. The government also needed to look at what support it provided, not only offering counselling, Robinson said. "Whatever communities do and whatever government does to respond to a situation like Tasman, really needs to be boosting those community networks, those community responses to this ongoing crisis. "It is the months and even years after these major events that we need to encourage that sense of community resilience and actually put some work into creating and sustaining that community resilience. "That is certainly what the government is responsible for resourcing as part of its response to natural disasters." It was important that communities felt supported and did not feel like the country had forgotten them, he believed. Robinson hoped people would feel comfortable to reach out and ask for support if they needed it. Rural Support Trust Nelson Tasman chair Richard Kempthorne said people were getting tired after heavy rain has battered the region multiple times within the space of weeks. "It certainly takes a toll on people. Many of these people who've lived in the area for years and they've lived on their properties for years and they've had flooding before. But very few people have had a flood to this extent." Many people in the Motueka and Wai-iti valleys relied on their business in the area for income so flooding also threatened their livelihoods, he said. "During the flood event, it will just be step back and let it happen. Once it drops, what's the damage left and then what can we do? "What we encourage and what people I think are actually quite good at is to chopping it down into - what do I need to do first and what are the steps I need to take? Not trying to do it all at once and just bite one chunk off at a time." Kempthorne said people should reach out for help as there was support available. That included Taskforce Green which was going onto farms to clear debris, Big Bake in Wakefield which was preparing food for rural communities, Federated Farmers, and the Rural Support Trust which offered counselling support.
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Cold snap ends as heavy rain, strong winds forecast for next week
The high cloud in Northland and Auckland is expected to begin lifting today. 'As we get through the day, there may be a few showers on the east coast of Northland. 'Showers down in Fiordland gradually spread north up the West Coast, and they may affect southern areas like Haast,' Lynden said. Cloud will also increase in Central Otago, as well as in Dunedin. 'For the rest of the country, they'll be in for another fine day,' he said. On Sunday, there is a chance of a few showers about the eastern coasts of Northland and potentially down to Auckland. It's much of the same story for the South Island on Sunday, Lynden said. Residents can expect 'cloud and perhaps a few showers along the West Coast of the South Island and maybe some more cloud building for other areas of the South Island, and potentially a few isolated showers about Southland'. This week's freezing temperatures aren't going to last. Photo / Getty Images Coldest morning so far in 2025 A temperature of -7.5C was recorded at Dunedin Airport and an icy -3.9C in Masterton yesterday. According to MetService, yesterday was the coldest morning of 2025 so far for several cities and towns, including Auckland, Napier, Hamilton, and Dunedin. One person from Hastings even said their curtains froze to their windows. Even Aucklanders got frosts in sheltered areas, with temperatures dropping daily this week. Queenstown is set to see a low of 1C, Wellington 9C, and Auckland 11C today. Temperatures set to rise, severe weather to lash NZ Lynden said the country would warm up as northerly winds returned, bringing warmer air. However, it would get wetter and windier. 'As we get into Monday, showers begin to build up on the West Coast, and there will potentially be some heavy falls along the West Coast on Monday evening. 'Then into Tuesday, we're expecting some more widespread heavy rain, with places like the West Coast of the South Island continuing to get heavy rain, but also the Tasman district.' Flooding at George's Truffles, Riwaka, on Friday July 11, when a state of emergency was in place in the Nelson Tasman region. Tasman Mayor Tim King reiterated that his region was preparing for the worst, with river levels still at elevated levels typically seen at the end of winter. He said the area had enjoyed seven days of clear skies and frosts. However, that was unlikely to be enough to prevent devastating impacts if more heavy rain fell. Flooding over recent weeks left homes in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough uninhabitable, roads damaged and properties inundated with flood waters in what was described by local authorities as a 'one-in-100-year event'. Lynden said Northland would also be at risk of heavy rain. 'Generally speaking, Tuesday will be wet for everyone,' Lynden said. Warnings and watches for heavy rain and strong winds may be issued, and people are advised to stay informed about the latest updates. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
