NZ in ‘state of emergency’ following record-breaking storm
New Zealand’s Emergency Minister has described parts of the country’s North Island as looking “like a war zone” after enduring brutal storms for the last 48 hours. Sarah Neish reports.
Record-breaking torrential rain caused by the collision of two areas of “low pressure” (over the Tasman Sea and Coral Sea) has caused widespread flooding and landslides along the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
“Everyone is working as hard as they can to get the best possible resolution, but be in no doubt at all it is a very difficult and challenging situation,” emergency minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ, adding that parts of the east coast looked like “a war zone”.
Helicopters have been deployed to rescue families sheltering on rooftops, and a local state of emergency has been declared in five regions across Northland and the East Cape.
Tauranga – the closest city to Mount Maunganui – received 295mm of rain in the 30 hours to 6am this morning, and was ground zero for a devastating landslide that took place near a popular camp site and has left several people, including a child, missing. A separate landslide in Welcome Bay caused two fatalities.
Speaking after the disaster, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the country is “heavy with grief” after the “profound tragedy” caused by the extreme weather in the last 48 hours.
What does it mean for winemakers?
The drinks business has contacted New Zealand Winegrowers for information on how the storms are impacting winemakers on the North Island. However, Gisborne is one of the five regions to have been declared “in a state of emergency”, so is a particular area of concern. Home to 1,226 hectares of vines, about half of which are Chardonnay, Gisborne has around 20 wineries including the likes of Steve Bird, Tohu Wines, Te Hana and Matawhero Wines.
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On a larger scale, Hawke’s Bay on the North Island’s worst-hit east coast is New Zealand’s second biggest wine region with 4,574 ha, mostly split between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Producers including Oyster Bay, Church Road, Te Mata and Craggy Range reside here.
According to RNZ, “thousands of people” have been without power, mostly on the North Island’s east coast, which will slow or halt winery operations.
The South Island, where Marlborough is located, has been far less impacted. According to weather station MetService, rainfall levels in Marlborough are expected to ease off this weekend, and will not be high enough to warrant a warning. The risk of severe weather in Marlborough is described as likely to be “minimal” by early next week.
Cyclone Gabrielle
The scenes of destruction echo those caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, which ripped through New Zealand’s North Island in February 2023. The storm caused more than NZ$230 million of damage, with most of the money spent on clearing the silt and debris deposited by “an all-out assault from our rivers”, Hastings District Council mayor Sandra Hazlehurst told db. More than 100 bridges were destroyed or damaged in Hawke’s Bay alone.
As a result, total New Zealand wine production fell by 6% that year with New Zealand Winegrowers revealing that “around 800 hectares of vineyards had lost some, or all, of their fruit” while a further 300ha of vineyard had experienced “significant infrastructure damage” on top of the crop loss.
“Our best estimate is that up to 20,000 tonnes of grapes may have been lost due to the cyclone and related weather events,” said the trade body.
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