Latest News
Residents in Te Karaka asked to evacuate as Waipaoa River tops 7.5 metres
The weather forecast for Tai Rāwhiti / Gisborne has been upgraded to the highest heavy rain warning level with residents in the Gisborne town of Te Karaka being asked to evacuate their homes.
MetService has upgraded the alert level for flooding in the Tai Rāwhiti / Gisborne region from orange to the highest alert level, red until midday Sunday.
It is forecasting a prolonged period of rain which would be heavy at times with 200-300mm of rain expected about and north of Tolaga Bay, up to 150mm about the ranges and up to 100mm in coastal areas south of Tolaga Bay.
The rain was expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding, with slips and flooding likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and potentially isolating some communities, the MetService warning said.
Residents in Te Karaka have been asked to evacuate as the Waipaoa River topped 7.5 metres and Tairāwhiti Civil Defence says Te Karaka Area School is an evacuation centre.
Chief fire officer Jamie Simpson said many areas that would need to be evacuated were already empty following Cyclone Gabrielle but anyone who did need to evacuate should do so during daylight hours.
Several roads are now closed in the region.
State Highway 35 around the cape from Gisborne to Ruatoria is now closed, as is is the inland route SH2 between Ormond and Matawai.
Eastern District Police said flooding was making driving conditions dangerous in many areas and they were assisting on the roads.
They urged people to avoid any unnecessary travel and to report any slips or flooded areas.
Gisborne’s Te Poho o Rawiri marae is gearing up to receive evacuated residents.
Marae chair Harata Gibson said they were ready to accept people from anywhere, not just Te Karaka, where evacuations had been ordered by Civil Defence.
“We’ve only just received the official notice from Civil Defence, although our people were advised early this morning that it would be best for them to make the decision.
“Yeah, the pā is just gearing up to receive whānau who need shelter.”
Tolaga Bay holiday park manager said Dion Milner the place was waterlogged and there was nowhere for the rain to go.
The Ūawa river was at about 8 metres, and while people were not evacuating yet, Dion Milner said he feared the worst was yet to come.
“Everything’s sort of okay at the moment, but if they’re predicting what we’re predicting with this other load coming, it’s gonna be interesting.”
The MetService rain radar at 2.50pm on 22 June 2023. Photo: Screenshot / MetService
MetService has extended its existing orange rain warning for Tairāwhiti until midnight on Sunday with heavy rain expected to batter the region right through until the end of the weekend.
The heavy rain has already closed roads and brought down slips and Greg Shelton from Uawa Civil Defence said river levels were rising.
“Our concern is with the rain with heavy downpours we get a lot of flooding, not river related, just roads, infrastructure is probably starting to fail us now just land starting to move, culverts back up, that kind of thing.”
Bridge on Whatatutu Road, just off State Highway 2, north of Te Karaka. Photo: NZ Police
Bridge on Whatatutu Road, just off State Highway 2, north of Te Karaka.
There had not yet been any evacuations in Tologa Bay, as most people in at-risk areas relocated after Cyclone Gabrielle, he said.
MetService meteorologist Andrew James told Midday Report a prolonged period of rain which would be heavy at times was forecast for Tai Rāwhiti / Gisborne.
“There’s a burst today, it’s still raining tomorrow, another burst of heavy rain on Saturday expecting about 250 to 350 millimetres of rain in that northern part of the region over that time.”
More than 220mm of rain had fallen in the Raukumura Ranges by midday Thursday, with 50-60mm having fallen at Gisborne Airport, he said.
Heavy rain warnings are also in place Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty west of Te Puke until 3pm on Friday with up to 160mm expected to fall, The Ruahine Range and Hawke’s Bay from SH5 southwards until midnight Saturday with up to 150mm of rain forecast and Marlborough south of Ward until 3pm on Saturday with up to 250mm forecast.
VIA RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large
New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals
Parliamentary Service working on extra chairs and offices for increased number of MPs
-
Latest News2 months ago‘Chilling’: Business groups speak out against National’s supermarket break-up plan
-
NZ News2 months agoTom Phillips report: The missed opportunities to find the children
-
Latest News2 months agoCars bearing Chinese police markings stir unease in Auckland
-
Politics2 months agoNational vows to try to split Pak’nSave and New World
-
Fiji News2 months agoPlans to have new Constitution by Dec 24th 2026
-
Politics2 months agoMBIE confirms botched biometric projects costs blown out to $50.7 million
-
NZ News2 months agoCop who stole $68,000 can now be named as champion Muay Thai fighter Haimona Tamati-Te Paki
-
Latest News2 months agoFive Karangahape Road venues lose their liquor licences after police intervention