New Zealand is facing a widespread severe weather event, with heavy rain, strong winds and hazardous coastal conditions forecast to affect large parts of the country and disrupt transport, power supply and business activity.
MetService has issued its highest-level red heavy rain warning for parts of Northland east of Kaikohe, from Doubtless Bay to Whangārei, with 270mm to 320mm of rain forecast from Wednesday into Friday. Orange warnings and watches are also in place for parts of Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Tasman, Marlborough, North Otago and South Canterbury.
The weather has already begun affecting infrastructure in the upper North Island. Hundreds of households in the upper Far North lost power on Wednesday evening as the system moved in, while councils urged people in flood- and slip-prone areas to prepare to leave early if they felt unsafe.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is also warning that winds of up to 120km/h could force lane closures or short full closures on the Auckland Harbour Bridge today, raising the prospect of disruption to freight, commuting and deliveries.
In Bay of Plenty, the region west of Whakatāne is under an orange heavy rain warning for 42 hours from Thursday morning, with 200mm to 250mm of rain expected and a high chance of an upgrade to red. MetService and civil defence warned of dangerous river conditions, flooding, slips, road closures, and possible communication and power outages. Those conditions are likely to affect retailers, transport operators, contractors and other businesses dependent on road access and reliable utilities.
As the latest system moves across the country, businesses in affected regions face pressure from road closures, lost trading hours, staff travel problems, delayed freight and the risk of further power outages.