Resilient Piha

11/04/2026

With an Orange Heavy Rain Watch for Auckland from 9pm and an Orange Strong Wind Watch from 10pm Saturday 11 April, rest assured that our Piha Fire Brigade and First Response, and Piha and United Surf Clubs, are organised and coordinated to provide support where and as needed.

And as your Piha Resilience Group we have connected in with these other groups to ensure that we can assist if need be too.

Key messages for the weekend ahead:
• Keep an eye on weather updates
• Prepare your home – clean gutters and drains, tie down outdoor furniture
• Check in on your neighbours to see if they are prepared- now is also a good time to reconnect with your neighbourhood WhatsApp or Facebook Group
• Let neighbours know if you are away
• Charge torches, phones, battery packs, fill water containers and anything else you need to be prepared for a power outage
• Prepare an alternative cooking method- for those without gas
• Make a plan for your household- what will you do if you need to evacuate?
If extreme weather strikes:
• Stay at home unless you feel unsafe
• Call 111 in an Emergency
• The Piha Surf Life Saving Club is open till 10pm tonight and from 6am Sunday morning and ready to provide a place for people to stay if you need it. They are prepared to stand up as an emergency hub if needed.
• United Surf Club is also ready to stand up as an emergency hub If needed
• If you’re feeling uneasy about being at home ahead of the weather the Piha Surf Club is also open for you to pop in- you’re welcome to bring what you need to be comfortable there (emergency after hours access will be through the back door)-
• If we do lose mobile phone connection the Resilient Piha Group has analogue radios to stay connected across neighbourhoods. We can connect with Auckland Emergency Management and if needed we can connect you with the Fire Brigade, First Response and the Surf Clubs.
The radios are spread across Piha, and are located on:
• Piha Road (top of the hill)
• Te Ahuahu Road
• Piha Road (by Pendrell)
• Rayner Road
• Seaview Road (by the Milk Track)
• Marine Parade South
• Beginning of Glen Esk Road
• Beginning of Garden Road
• North Piha Road (by Monkey Rock)

**Check in with your local WhatsApp Group or Facebook Group to find out who is holding the radio for your neighbourhood**

11/04/2026

There's an Orange Heavey Rain Watch for Auckland from 9pm tonight (Saturday 11 April) and an Orange Strong Wind Watch from 10pm tonight.

Follow Auckland Emergency Management for preparedness and response information and MetService New Zealand for updates on what conditions we can expect with Cyclone Vaianu hitting our shores.

UPDATE: Sunday 12 April, 10.30am
MetService New Zealand has updated the Strong Wind Warning for Aotea Great Barrier Island.
STRONG WIND WARNING - ORANGE for Great Barrier Island
Area: Great Barrier Island
Period: 8hrs from 12:00pm Sun to 8:00pm Sun
Forecast: Gale easterlies changing to severe gale westerlies this afternoon, with gusts of 120km/h in exposed places.
Minimal chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
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Last updated 10pm, 11 April;
Kia ora everyone, MetService New Zealand has made some updates to today's forecast, mainly around the timing of warnings for Auckland and Aotea Great Barrier Island. Follow MetService for updates or download the Metservice App from the App Store or Google Play.

The current track of Cyclone Vaianu can be found at www.metservice.com/warnings/tropical-cyclone-activity

📍Aotea Great Barrier Island has been upgraded to a RED warning for wind. The combination of damaging winds, heavy rain and coastal inundation makes this a multi-hazard, potentially life-threatening event.
📍The locations of the most severe impacts associated with Cyclone Vaianu, such as power outages, falling trees, flooding, slips, road closures and isolated communities are highly dependent on the cyclone's track.
📍Strong Wind and Heavy Rain Watches and Warnings are in force for much of the North Island and upper South Island Sunday and early Monday. Further areas are likely to be upgraded to Orange or Red as the cyclone approaches and its track becomes clearer.

📍STRONG WIND WARNING - RED for Great Barrier Island
Area: Aotea Great Barrier Island
Period: 22hrs from 10.00pm Sat to 8:00pm Sun

Forecast: Severe gale easterlies changing to severe gale west to northwesterly Sunday afternoon, with damaging gusts of 130km/h. Note winds easing from the north during Sunday afternoon.

Impact: Threat to life from flying items and falling trees. Destructive winds will cause widespread damage including powerlines and roofs, with dangerous driving conditions and significant disruption to transport and power supply.

📍STRONG WIND WARNING - ORANGE for Auckland excluding Aotea Great Barrier Island
Area: Auckland
Period: 20hrs from 10.00pm Sat to 6:00pm Sun

Forecast: Severe gale east to southeasterlies about areas north of Orewa changing to severe gale west to southwesterly Sunday early afternoon, gusting 130km/h in exposed places.
Moderate chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.

Impact: Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

📍HEAVY RAIN WARNING - ORANGE for Auckland including Aotea Great Barrier Island
Area: Auckland and Great Barrier Island
Period: 17hrs from 9:00pm Sat to 2:00pm Sun

Forecast: Expect 70 to 100 mm of rain to accumulate. Peak rates of 10 to 20 mm/hr. Note, heavy swells and coastal inundation likely, especially about Aotea Great Barrier Island and the outer gulf.
Low chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.

Impact: Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.

Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board

29/11/2025

What a beautiful sunny day - perfect weather for a visit from Glenn, our friendly Auckland Emergency Management representative.

It’s fantastic to have his support checking over the latest version of our Resilience plan, which will be ready to share with the community in the new year.

Watch this space 👀

22/09/2025

Do you have a household emergency plan? Auckland Emergency Management have resources to help you get started, and are encouraging households to make their plan this daylight saving weekend, so everyone is on the same page should disaster strike.

25/07/2025

What a beautiful week we’ve had. We hope you are enjoying the glorious weather this weekend.

Why not use this fine weather to make sure your property is ready for the rain in the week ahead?

Emergencies affect everyone so we need to work together to be stronger and more resilient. Being ready as a community means we can support one another during an emergency and recover faster. It’s about building connections, planning together, and looking out for each other.

29/05/2025

Would you like to get involved in helping build community resilience in the face of emergencies or disasters?

Resilient Piha is a group of community members who meet monthly to explore how we can strengthen Piha’s disaster preparedness by ensuring we have the necessary resources, knowledge, and plans in place to respond quickly and effectively when emergencies occur.

We’re currently refreshing Piha’s draft resilience plan, and once this is complete we’ll be sharing it far and wide to get community feedback.

If you’d like to be part of this group get in touch [email protected]

02/11/2024

Disasters and emergencies can strike unexpectedly, leaving us vulnerable to significant harm and disruption. Resilient Piha aims to facilitate disaster preparedness in our community ensuring that we have the necessary resources, knowledge, and plans in place to respond effectively to emergencies.

With support of The Piha Residents and Ratepayers Association the group will be working to bring the Piha Resilience Plan to life.

If you would like to be involved in the group please send us a message or email [email protected]

Nga mihi nui