First, the good news - comms have been restored to the Wakefield area!

The Wakefield Civil Defence Centre will be open from 9am - 7pm tomorrow, at the St Johns Worship Centre.
Please feel free to drop in for a coffee and a chat. 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.

We are expecting more rain tomorrow (Thursday 3 July). In particular we expect there may be small to moderate flooding in Riwaka, Waimea Plains and around the Maitai River. We're expecting surface flooding across the region, please drive with caution. See the latest information here: https://shorturl.at/bhlVk

“Be prepared, have a plan,” Tasman mayor Tim King said on Wednesday. People needed to get ready now by making a plan, moving stock and animals, and evacuating early if necessary, he said.

The Tasman harbourmaster has been out today clearing as much debris as they could ahead of the rain expected overnight. Please do not clear debris yourself as it could be contaminated and dangerous.

We had two community meetings today (Wakefield and Tapawera). We are planning for another two later this week. One in Motueka and one in Ngātīmoti. More information will come. If you missed either meeting and have questions, please reach out to us.

Ministry for Primary Industries has shared some really helpful information for our farming & agriculture communities. Read more here: https://shorturl.at/R3AmV