CYCLONE VAIANU

UPDATE: Monday 13 April 2026

Strong collaboration across Western Waikato during Cyclone Vaianu

We are pleased to confirm that the impacts of Cyclone Vaianu on 12 April across the Western Waikato districts of Ōtorohanga, Waipā and Waitomo were minor and localised.

The three district councils worked seamlessly together in a Western Waikato Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Te Awamutu, supporting our communities during the weather event. 

The Centre, Te Whare Ᾱhuru, coordinated the local civil defence response in alignment with regional and national Civil Defence efforts. Controller Dave Simes said only a small number of issues were identified and managed. There was minor surface flooding and one isolated power outage. River levels remained below trigger thresholds.  

Representatives from Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, The Lines Company and Waipā Networks were based at the Centre, working alongside council teams to support the response.

After the cyclone system moved away from the Western Waikato, our response activity moved to a monitoring level.

Dave says the safety and wellbeing of our communities always remains our top priority, and civil defence response is always a team effort. We acknowledge the strong collaboration among councils, iwi and hapū, contractors, emergency services, the Rural Support Trust, community groups, government agencies and many more organisations and people. We thank everyone involved for their continued support of our communities.

For the latest weather information, visit www.metservice.com/warnings 

UPDATE: Monday 13 April 2026

Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group ended the Declaration of Emergency for the region pertaining to Cyclone Vaianu at 6pm, Monday 13 April 2026.

A Local State of Emergency was declared for the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group area at 9.32am on Saturday, 11 April 2026, for a period of seven days, as a proactive measure ahead of the cyclone.

Councillor Emma Pike, Waikato CDEM Group Joint Committee Chair said in a statement: “The declaration helped us to act early, with our communities and partner agencies, to reduce the likely consequences of the approaching cyclone. We are very grateful to how our community responded and the level of preparation. Our goal is always to prevent loss of life: It’s the reason we exist.”

Ōtorohanga District Council's coordinated and collaborative recovery programme is continuing our work supporting our communities to reconnect and rebuild.

UPDATE: Sunday 12 April 2026

Emergency Operations Centre

A Western Waikato Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is supporting the Waipā, Waitomo and Ōtorohanga communities during Cyclone Vaianu. The Centre, Te Whare Ᾱhuru, is coordinating the local Civil Defence response for Ōtorohanga District Council, Waipā District Council and Waitomo District Council, aligned with regional and national Civil Defence efforts.

Controller Dave Simes says the Centre is monitoring the cyclone’s progress across the North Island, with teams on standby to respond and provide support across the Western Waikato as needed. As at 2.30pm 12 April, the districts have avoided the brunt of the cyclone so far, and support is being provided to the small number of affected locations.

The Councils have been monitoring and preparing for the cyclone’s arrival over the past week. The Centre was activated at 7am on Sunday, 12 April, at Waipā District Council. Staff from the three councils are working across a range of functions, including operations, intelligence, planning, public information, welfare and logistics.

Representatives from Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, The Lines Company and Waipā Networks are also in the Centre, supporting the response.