13,000 homes and businesses without power as wild weather forces evacuations in Tasman

Friday, 11 July 2025

Heavy rain and winds have left 13,000 homes and businesses without power in Tasman as the region once again faces on onslaught of wild weather.

Residents in parts of the region have had to evacuate while others are shoring up their homes and bracing for the worst as the area is once again taking a battering.

Trees have fallen in many areas, and there is widespread flooding.

Lines company Network Tasman said that as of 7.30pm on Friday, about 13,000 customers in Golden Bay, Motueka, Tapawera and the Waimea Plains were without power.

“Fallen trees and flooding are preventing our crews from accessing many parts of the network,” the company said on Facebook. “We will be out at first light to begin repairs.

“Most affected customers can expect to be without power tonight, possibly longer. Please treat all downed powerlines as live and remember the power will be restored without warning.”

Firefighers have been called to help people trapped by floodwaters around Motueka, with some stuck in their homes and others in their cars.

There have been reports of dangers posed by falling trees. A huge tree came down on a parked car on Vanguard St in Victory Square, Nelson. No one was in the car at the time.

The bad weather touched other parts of the South Island on Friday, with fallen trees causing the partial closure of State Highway 75 between Christchurch and Akaroa.

The NZ Transport Agency said the road was closed from Little River to French Farm, near Irwell Street, and Banks Peninsula was under an orange strong wind warning until early on Saturday, with 120kph gusts in some places.

In its latest update issued just after 6pm, Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said an emergency mobile alert (EMA) had been issued for people living in Tākaka, with flooding possible.

Residents of the Golden Bay town were being told evacuate to higher ground and to be prepared to stay until the water subsides.

It is the second EMA that Civil Defence issued on Friday, with one issued earlier in the day for people who were evacuated in the recent floods, and for anyone who felt unsafe.

Those affected areas include between Tapawera and Riwaka, along the Motueka River Valley, including Motupiko River and Tadmor River; between Wakefield and Brightwater, along Wai-iti and Pitfure Rivers; and low-lying areas in the Moutere Valley.

“If this applies to you, please evacuate to higher ground NOW,” the update said.

People were urged to take care evacuating, with reports of surface flooding in Brightwater, Appleby and Golden Bay.

Civil Defence spokesman Paul Shattock said about 100 homes had been advised to evacuate.

“The region is being hammered.”

Fire and Emergency shift manager Alex Norris said firefighters have been helping people evacuate their houses on Friday afternoon.

He said residents at the Riverside Community near Motueka were self-evacuating and crews were on site with police to check houses were empty.

“Some of the streets are impassable to cars,” Norris said.

The co-operative community was next to the Moutere River.

Fire crews have also assisted with evacuations in the Wakefield area, he said, as well as providing support to affected areas around Riwaka and Kaiteriteri.

A major water main had also broken in Kaiteriteri and Riwaka, prompting an urgent message to conserve water.

Tasman resident Jill Dear said her house was self-sufficient, so they were ready to stay put for a night without power.

However, flooding had damaged the flower and berry crops they grew on their farm, she said.

Trees were falling down around her house and they could not get out of their driveway, Dear said.

“It’s a bit of a state out there!”

Hotel Motueka owner Vinny Sibbald said they had a few evacuees come in, one of whom was brought in by a government agency from West Bank, Motueka. On Friday afternoon, the Motueka River was “getting higher by the minute” and chocolate coloured.

Waka Kotahi spokesperson for the top of the South Island, Felix Marwick, has confirmed multiple state highway closures across Nelson and Tasman.

State Highway 6 at Rocks Rd in Nelson has been closed between Bisley Ave and Richardson St due to debris falls. Marwick said the closure would cause significant congestion, particularly during the afternoon commute, and urged drivers to expect delays and plan accordingly.

State Highway 60 at Cook’s Corner, near the Riwaka – Kaiteriteri Rd intersection, has also been closed due to flooding.

Surface flooding was also affecting SH60 near Appleby, and further closures were possible as rain continues to fall across already saturated ground.

Elsewhere, State Highway 6 between Belgrove and Kohatu has been shut due to slips and flooding.

In a post on its Facebook page just before 3pm, the Tapawera Volunteer Fire Brigade said two trees have fallen onto vehicles as sodden ground gives way beneath root systems.

“The ground is so soft there’s nothing to keep the roots embedded.”

No injuries were reported as yet.

Tapawera Fire Chief Dean Miller said one incident occurred on Hope Saddle, although his crew had not attended in person. “A local who was there sent us a photo. People that live locally — that’s how we found out,” he said.

He wasn't aware of the second incident.

Miller added that conditions in the area were worsening. “Things are starting to get a bit hairy out here,” he said. “There’s a lot of trees coming down.”

He confirmed fallen trees had closed SH6 at Spooners Range, the Stock Rd that goes from Nelson Lakes to Wakefield, and Tadmoor Valley Rd.

Earlier on Friday, MetService escalated its heavy rain warning to red for parts of the Tasman District, warning of “a threat to life”, as conditions worsen.

It said “dangerous river conditions, significant flooding, and landslides” meant there was a threat to life.

“Do not enter floodwaters and avoid travel. Act quickly to self-evacuate if you see rising water. Be ready for power and communications outages.”

NZTA director regional relationships Emma Speight said people should avoid driving through flood water.

“Flood waters can obscure hidden dangers. You just don’t know what is below the surface.

“Also, driving through flooded areas creates bow waves that can cause more damage to homes and properties. Please, don’t do this.”

Contractors were on call to respond to events, but safety was the top priority, she said.

Forecasters have said a further 80 to 120mm of rain was expected to fall in those areas, on top of what had already saturated the area.

Peak rainfall rates of 10 to 20mm per hour were forecast Friday afternoon and evening. A strong wind watch is also in place across the wider Tasman area.

Tākaka Fire Chief Philip Wolf was on the ground at Golden Bay's One Spec Rd, in Kotinga, where the road was now closed by floodwaters.

“We're right in the middle of it now,' he said. 'We’ve got fairly intense rainfall, and the rain is falling well up into the back hills. We’re monitoring how long it takes to come down into the main river.”

Wolf said river levels were high at Kotinga Bridge but not yet critical. “It’s in a management space at the moment,” he said, after checking key locations including the Anatoki River. He said tributaries feeding into the Anatoki were being closely watched.

“The forecast is that it will blow out and over us, but we’ve certainly got some very heavy rain.”

Civil Defence regional public information manager Paul Shattock said it was normal to issue a warning of “potential threat to life” with heavy rain levels on top of already sodden ground.

“We’re hoping it’s not going to be as bad as a few weeks ago, but we’re preparing for a worst case scenario.”

In a post on the Nelson Tasman Civil Defence Facebook page on Thursday at 4.47pm, Tasman mayor Tim King declared a new state of emergency for the region, just three days after the last one was lifted.

The post said it was a pre-emptive step, due to the existing conditions, following the recent severe weather that hammered the region.

Half a year’s rainfall in two weeks

On Friday, King said if the rainfall predicted came to pass, they would have had half their annual rainfall in two weeks.

The ground was sodden, and people’s moods were “not great”.

King said he was “very concerned, and extremely nervous” about what was to come.

Areas of particular concern were Riwaka, Brooklyn, the Motueka Valley, Lower Motueka, extending as far as Motupiko, and the headwaters of the Wai-iti.

“Pretty much the same areas impacted two weeks ago. Where the rain falls, and how much and how intense it is, is hard to tell until it actually happens.”

He was concerned about the amount of damage in rivers, their changing course, and the debris both in the rivers and on adjacent properties.

“Exactly where the water goes, is less predictable than it normally is, and it's normally unpredictable. So this just adds to that uncertainty and the potential risk.”

He was also worried that rivers would again reroute, and streams would cause issues.

“A lot of the damage was in those smaller streams connecting into the main rivers, as well as the main rivers themselves in Motupiko, Wai-iti, and Motueka.

“These smaller streams react so fast to even small amounts of rainfall that people just need to be really aware of how quickly things might change with this rain.”

The addition of a wind watch was also a concern, as with heavily saturated ground, high winds had the potential to destabilize trees along rivers and streams, which could block and divert waterways and impact the roading network.

With the region experiencing its third bout of poor weather, King hoped residents took warnings seriously.

“You're much better off to come back and be emailing us or telling us that we overreacted than than the reverse,” he said.

While the month of July was typically a dry one, the weather was in a pattern that was adding to the stress, worry and concern that people had been feeling over the past three weeks, he said.

Slips a real possibility

Hydrologists from the TDC said overnight rain had pushed river flows higher than yesterday’s forecast, increasing the risk of flooding and slips across the region.

In Golden Bay, up to 120mm more rain is expected on top of 95mm already recorded in the ranges, with peak falls this afternoon.

A moderate to large flood could cut access to Tākaka township via Waitapu Splash, Bridges Hollow, and Lindsays Bridge.

The Motueka Valley through to Motupiko was expected to see moderate to large floods, with Riwaka, Brooklyn, and Moutere Valley residents urged to plan for similar.

The worst period was likely to be later in the day, probably after dark, with potential road closures from slips and flooding.

The Wai-iti Valley and Pitfure areas also remained sodden and were likely to react strongly to the forecast rain.

Low-lying areas like the Waimea Plains remained vulnerable, and there was concern the situation could worsen into the evening.

Low tide at 4.30pm this afternoon may help limit excessive wave run-up, and winds should drop at this time.

The following high tide at 10.30pm was 4.1 metres.

Water rescue crews at the ready

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has deployed an eight-person specialist water rescue team from Christchurch to Nelson in advance of more heavy rain warnings.

On Friday, director service delivery operations Brendan Nally said the team got into place early as Nelson has only two roads into the district, and they were prone to flooding and cutting the district off.

“Our specialist team is on the ground ready to support local brigades if needed when the rain comes,” Nally said.

These teams are part of FENZ’s urban search and rescue capability, and they assess whether buildings impacted by floods, landslips and earthquakes are safe to enter.

Tasman District Council communications manager Chris Choat said already-saturated ground was now exacerbating surface flooding.

“It’s the fact the ground is so saturated that it’s got nowhere to go,” he said. “Expect heavier rain to come through this afternoon, which is the real issue. The groundwater is so high and it’s got nowhere to go.”

FENZ shift manager Alex Norris said crews helped divert water from two homes on the Appleby Highway, halfway between Richmond and Appleby, by pumping it out at 8.30am and 9.20am this morning.

Norris said they assisted residents with floodwaters by 'trying to slow down the water going into the house and pumping it away.”

“They weren’t there for long. We haven’t been there since 9.30am today and haven’t been called back,” he said.

At Connings Appleby, staff were pumping out the car park to stop it flooding.

“It seems like a Friday thing now,” said store manager Taylor Eaton.

Roads closed

MetService said 17 roads were currently closed across the Tasman District, with more closures expected as strong winds continued to bring down trees.

“Contractors will be limited in their ability to respond to fallen trees while winds are blowing. Please limit travel if possible and refrain from clearing fallen trees on roads, as there is a danger of further tree falls.”

Emergency Civil Defence Centres had opened in Ngatimoti, Riwaka, and Tapawera for those needing shelter. The centres would remain open until midday Saturday and are stocked with hot drinks and basic supplies.

The Temporary Accommodation Service had also been activated for displaced residents. Anyone needing assistance was encouraged to call 0508 754 163 or register online.

Nelson mayor Nick Smith said while Nelson remained under an orange-level warning, they were expecting the heaviest rainfall to hit the city between midday and 9pm today.

He said the sodden ground remained the biggest risk for Nelson.

“I’ve been encouraged by how well the major landslide sites from the 2022 weather event have held up. We’ve had two new slips in recent weeks — one in Brook Valley and one at the eastern end of The Wood — which led to yellow-sticker notices for two properties,” he said.

“But what’s been really reassuring is that none of the major 2022 slip sites have reactivated. That tells me the millions invested in stabilisation work were well spent, and the geoengineering teams have done a great job.”