National State of Emergency called

Stuff reports:

A national state of emergency has been declared, after a night of extreme weather which left towns cut off across the North Island.

Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty declared a national state of emergency at 8.43am on Tuesday.

It was only the third time a New Zealand Government had declared a national state of emergency. The previous declarations came for the Christchurch earthquakes and Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the declaration would apply to the six regions that had declared a local state of emergency: Northland, Auckland, Tairāwhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Hawke’s Bay.

So it is more a multi-regional state of emergency.

Hope everyone is okay in the most badly affected areas. Where we are it is cold and strong winds but not particularly bad.