9 April 2026 

The current situation – Orange Weather Rain and Wind Watches

Cyclone Vaianu is likely to move across the North Island on Sunday 12 April.

We are watching the situation closely and Metservice is monitoring and modelling different scenarios over the coming days.

If Cyclone Vaianu follows its current expected course, it will bring damaging, potentially life-threatening winds across large areas of the North Island. The North Island is currently under a Orange Heavy Rain Watch and in the Bay of Plenty we also have a Orange High Winds Watch.

However, uncertainty remains in the cyclone's exact track, so the locations of the most severe winds are not yet certain. As confidence in the track increases, Metservice may upgrade parts of this Watch to Orange or possibly Red Warnings.

Vaianu will also bring heavy rain, with Heavy Rain Watches and/or Heavy Rain Warnings being issued on Thursday for some areas.

What you can do now (before the weather arrives)

Residents should prepare for substantial rainfall and likely high winds.

Heavy rainfall may lead to surface flooding, slips, and rapid rises in streams and rivers.

Plan ahead for travel on the weekend – delay travelling or plan to arrive earlier to avoid travelling during the worst of the weather. If you can, stay home and keep warm.

Get Storm-Ready. 

• Check gutters, drains
• Secure anything that might go flying in gusty winds – trampolines, umbrellas, rotten branches, tarps and paddling pools.
• Check online for other things to do on the Get Ready website.

If you see something you think council needs to know about before the weekend, please call us at 073069009. For non-urgent issues, please use our Fix It website portal.

Be prepared in case there are power outages on the weekend - if the impact is widespread on Sunday, power companies may be under pressure and it might take some time to get power reconnected if there are lines down. Check you have batteries for any radios, charge your phones, store water for several days' supply. 

Stay up to date – make sure you keep up to date and stay informed with the latest weather forecast at MetService New Zealand.

Stay safe and take care.

You can also get the latest updates and guidance from these sites: 

• National Emergency Management Agency Website | X (formerly Twitter) | Facebook
• Weather warnings from MetService
• Waka Kotahi Map: Road closures and traffic conditions
• Bay of Plenty Civil Defence website | Facebook page
• Check the Kawerau District Council Facebook page
• Tune in to Radio
  • 1XX - 90.5FM Whakatāne | 1242AM Whakatāne | 92.9FM Ōhope Beach | Listen Online
  • Sun FM - 106.5 FM | Listen Online
  • Tumeke FM - 96.9 FM | Listen Online

REMEMBER - if you are looking to report something relating to a Council service. Our teams are on stand-by over the weekend. However, we will need to assess if its safe to respond during the height of the storm. Council facilties may be affected and may need to close. Please expect delays or closures. We will keep you up to date as much as we can. 

Our phone lines are open 24/7 073069009. If it is an emergency - please contact Emergency Services via 111.