Weather Event Update 0730 Thursday 3 July 2025
The situation
Civil Defence staff continue to monitor the wet weather coming into the region.
As at 4am this morning we have light rain across the Tasman District. You can check Council’s rain gauges yourself on a hourly basis here - Rainfall report | Tasman District Council
River levels remain steady although we expect them to rise during the day as the rain intensifies and washes down the catchments.
No reports of flooding on the roads yet. Our teams will be out at first light, and we expect more information to come in then.
Official advice is to be careful on the roads and only travel if it is necessary.
If your areas is affected, please take the time to check on your neighbours and look out for one another. Kia kaha!
The forecast
The MetService has issued the following Orange Rain warnings:
For the Tasman District northwest of Motueka:
- Period: 15hrs from 3am - 6pm Thursday the 3rd of July
- Expect 120 to 150 mm of rain, but 150 to 200 mm possible in localised areas including the coast. Peak rates of 20 to 30 mm/h. Note, further rain or showers expected for the remainder of Thursday and Friday.
Tasman and Nelson Districts about and southeast of Motueka, also Marlborough north of the Wairau River
- Period: 15hrs from 6am - 9pm Thursday the 3rd of July.
- Expect 80 to 110 mm of rain about the Sounds and ranges, and 50 to 80 mm elsewhere. Peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h, mainly about ranges. Note, further rain or showers expected on Friday.
Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
Be careful on the roads and only travel if it is necessary.
The State Highway 60 Bridge in Motueka
One of the questions we often get asked during events is “what is the water levels at the bridge on State Highway 60 in Motueka”.
So, on Wednesday evening staff installed a temporary water level sensor, and we are making the data available to the public.
The underside of bridge is roughly 6.7m and you can access the data here - Motueka SH60 Bridge.
Where to get help
The Wakefield Civil Defence Centre will be open from 9am - 7pm tomorrow, at the St Johns Worship Centre for information and assistance. The team will be collecting information to send back to our Welfare team if needed to give support. Red Cross will be onsite between 11am - 5pm.
The Government has announced up to $100,000 is being made available to support flood-affected farmers and growers. Find out more here: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/.../support-flood-affected...
The Mayoral Relief Fund has been activated, please email mayoralrelief@tasman.govt.nz to apply. More information here: https://www.tasman.govt.nz/my-community/grants-and-funding/available-grants-and-funding/nelson-tasman-flood-event-2025-mayoral-relief-fund-application-form
You can also contact MSD for additional financial support.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/civil-defence-payment.html
Ministry for Primary Industries has shared some really helpful information for our farming & agriculture communities. Read more here: https://shorturl.at/R3AmV
Disposing of flood damaged materials
If you have flood damaged materials, then this can be delivered to the transfer stations once it is safe to do so.
Make sure you keep any receipts of costs for insurance purposes (if there are charges)
Take photos of all your flood damage before you start the clean-up, remember to include a photo of the highwater mark
Please get in contact with your insurance company as soon as possible, to lodge your claim and get the claims process started
If your property is flood damaged, your insurer may arrange for a contractor to strip our damaged material to support drying. As part of that work the contractor will remove damaged building material.
Any damaged material as a result of the weather event can be taken to the Council Resource Recovery Centre for assessment to determine whether Council will cover the cost of disposal.
We’ll need to know your contact details, your insurance company (if applicable), where the material has come from and confirmation that it’s flood related waste. You can complete this short form in advance (pdf 43 KB). We may need to take photos of the waste.
If you are not able to transport your material to a Resource Recovery Centre, then please call Council and we will look at getting a contractor to collect the material.
Please don’t put material on the roadside, as this makes it difficult and more expensive to manage.
Harbourmaster
The Harbourmaster, Coastguard and volunteers have been active clearing a significant amount of debris from the water and coastline.
These include nets, apple bins and plastic waste.
However, it is likely that Navigational hazards remain in the area.
The team will assess today’s weather and build a plan around remaining debris accordingly.
Please do not clear debris yourself as it could be contaminated and dangerous.