24/03/2026
Mōrena whānau,
We want to update our community as the weather situation across Northland has now escalated to a Red Heavy Rain Warning.
Ngunguru Marae will remain on standby and ready to support our community if needed.
This means we are facing a serious and potentially dangerous weather event with heavy rain, strong winds, and the risk of flooding, slips, and road closures over the coming days.
We strongly encourage everyone to take this seriously and prepare now:
🔴 Avoid unnecessary travel
🔴 Do not enter floodwaters
🔴 Be ready to self-evacuate if needed
🔴 Secure your homes and belongings
🔴 Keep emergency supplies and a grab bag ready
Please look out for your whānau, neighbours, and kaumātua during this time.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and share updates as they come through. If support is needed within our community, we will communicate further.
If anyone needs to contact us, please find Ngunguru Marae trustee contact numbers below:
Ana Mackie (Chair) – 021 0845 4983
Trish Clueard (Treasurer) – 021 234 0802
Ripeka Read (Secretary) – 027 217 1014
Davina Leathers– 027 483 9743
Rachel Wellington – 0223 842 099
Marlene Penehio – 022 163 2598
Pania Brown – 021 223 6550
Langdon Bradley – 0223 158 202
Please reach out if you need support. Stay safe, stay prepared, and take care of one another.
Ngā mihi
Updated 9:30pm (25/03):
As we head into the late evening, it’s shaping up to be a wet and windy night across many parts of Northland.
MetService New Zealand has updated the Red and Orange Heavy Rain Warnings and the Strong Wind Warning issued earlier today.
However, the key messages remain largely the same, and the main period of concern is still from Thursday afternoon through to Friday morning.
The rainfall forecast is still likely to bring: dangerous river conditions, flooding, Slips and landslides, Hazardous driving conditions, and road closures in some areas
This remains an evolving situation, so please continue to keep up to date with the latest information from MetService and your local and regional councils.
📡 Weather warnings: https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home -north
🚧 State highways: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner
📍Local roads: Far North District Council Whangarei District Council Kaipara District Council
We are also starting to see a few isolated power outages across the region.
🔌For the latest outage information:
• Whangārei & Kaipara (Northpower): https://northpower.nz/outages/
📞 Northpower faults: 0800 104 040
• Far North (Top Energy): https://outages.topenergy.co.nz/
📞 Top Energy faults: 0800 867 363
We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely and share updates as the situation develops.
The key messages from the post below remain largely the same too; stay safe, stay prepared, and look after one another.
👇 Updated warning details are included below
_________________________________________________________________
Mōrena Northland, we've got a long but important post for you this morning 👇
MetService New Zealand has reviewed the watches and warnings for Northland and upgraded parts of the region to a Red Heavy Rain Warning, with Orange Strong Wind and Heavy Rain Warnings remaining in place for the rest of the region.
A Red Warning is only issued for the most severe and impactful weather events.
This is expected to be a long‑duration event, with rain and wind continuing over several days. While some areas may not receive heavy rainfall at warning levels today (25 March), MetService expects rainfall to build over time, reaching significant levels as the event develops.
The main period of concern is from Thursday afternoon through to Friday morning, particularly for areas covered by the Red Warning, east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay down to Whangārei, where 270 to 320 mm of rain is possible during the warning period.
With this level of rainfall, dangerous river conditions, flooding, slips, landslides, hazardous driving conditions, and road closures are all possible.
This remains an evolving situation, so please continue to stay up to date with the latest forecasts and information from MetService, as well as updates from your local and regional councils.
🔴Full warning details:
🔴Heavy Rain Warning - Red
Period: 32hrs from 8pm Wed, 25 Mar - 4am Fri, 27 Mar
Area: Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangarei
Forecast: Expect 230 to 280 mm of rain. Peaks rates initially 15 to 25 mm/h, but increasing to 25 to 40 mm/h and possibly greater from Thursday afternoon through to early Friday morning. Thunderstorms possible from Thursday afternoon.
Impact: Threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips. Conditions will disrupt travel, make some roads impassable, and isolate communities.
Action: Do not enter floodwaters and avoid travel. Act quickly to self-evacuate if you see rising water. Be ready for power and communications outages.
🟠Heavy Rain Warning - Orange
Period: 32hrs from 8pm Wed, 25 Mar - 4am Fri, 27 Mar
Area: Remainder of Northland not under a Red Warning
Forecast: Expect to 120 to 220 mm of rain. Peaks rates initially 15 to 25 mm/h, but increasing to 25 to 40 mm/h and possibly greater from Thursday afternoon through to early Friday morning. Thunderstorms possible from Thursday afternoon. High chance of upgrading to a Red Warning.
Impact: Dangerous river conditions, flooding, and slips likely. Dangerous driving conditions and road closures are expected.
Action: Do not enter floodwaters and avoid unnecessary travel. Be ready for communication and power outages. Be prepared to self-evacuate if you see rising water.
🟠Strong Wind Warning - Orange
Period: 26hrs from 9pm Wed, 25 Mar - 11pm Thu, 26 Mar
Area: Northland
Forecast: Severe gale east to northeast winds gusting 120 km/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.
Action: Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously
📡For the latest update on the warnings head to: https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home -
🙏A big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to prepare ahead of this incoming weather. For those who haven’t yet had the chance, we encourage you to use what time you can this morning to ensure you’re ready if this severe weather does impact you.
Taking a few simple steps now can make a big difference, and even if conditions aren’t as severe where you are, there’s no harm in being prepared.
🔑For anyone who hasn’t yet, or who needs a reminder — if it is safe to do so:
✅Clear drains and gutters
✅Secure loose outdoor items
✅Move valuables and vehicles away from flood-prone areas
✅Relocate stock from low-lying land and bring pets indoors
✅Have essential supplies ready in case of power outages or road closures
✅Have a grab bag and evacuation plan ready
✅Do not enter floodwaters: it only takes a small amount of moving water to knock you off your feet or sweep a vehicle away.
✅Avoid unnecessary travel over this period. Conditions may deteriorate quickly, and roads may close with little warning.
✅Be prepared to self evacuate if you see rising water, feel unsafe, or notice conditions worsening.
✅Be aware of landslide risks, and keep well away from areas that have recently been affected by slips or landslides. If you notice cracks in the ground, tilting trees or power poles, unusual noises, or rapid changes in stream levels, leave immediately.
✅If at any time you feel you, your whānau, or your property are at immediate risk, please call emergency services on 111
📍Your local district council is the best place to both report issues with and get updates on, local infrastructure, such as local roads.
Northland Civil Defence works across the councils to provide local welfare support. If centres or marae are open to provide support, they will be published on the district council websites below:
Whangarei District Council | Phone: 0800 932 463 | Website: www.wdc.govt.nz
Far North District Council| Phone: 0800 920 029 | Website: www.fndc.govt.nz
Kaipara District Council | Phone: 0800 727 059 | Website: www.kaipara.govt.nz
🔌 Power outages:
Whangārei & Kaipara Districts (Northpower): https://northpower.nz/outages/
You can contact the Northpower faults line: 0800 104 040
Far North District (Top Energy) https://outages.topenergy.co.nz/
You can phone Top Energy: 0800 867 363
🚧 State highways: https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner
We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely and share updates as the situation develops.
Local councils, emergency services, and Northland Civil Defence are meeting regularly and coordinating closely for this event. We are monitoring the situation with MetService and NRC Hydrology and positioning resources across the region so we can respond effectively if needed.
We’ll continue to share updates as the situation develops.
Stay safe Northland, we got this!
