'We need a break': Gisborne hit with more extreme weather

"It's all go here in Tairāwhiti. We are absolutely shattered," says Gisborne's Mayor Rehette Stoltz.

Evacuations are underway in parts of Tairāwhiti-Gisborne as heavy rain and wind lash the district.

"If you feel unsafe self-evacuate, don't wait for us to make a call," Stoltz said.

"We have opened Te Poho-o-Rawiri Marae in Kaitī so that if people feel unsafe they can go there.

"It's still high winds, lots of rain and we're expecting a bit more to come today."

Police have gone door-to-door in Fergusson Drive and other river-bound low-lying cities and neighbourhoods to notify and encourage residents to evacuate.

An Iwi-led response team has also encouraged some Te Karaka residents to evacuate since 2am due to high levels at the local river.

A state of emergency has been declared in coastal Hastings, with evacuations forced in Wairoa.

Stoltz said Gisborne was not in a state of emergency but they were closely monitoring river levels and that certain river levels would trigger an alert.

"So we have been measuring and looking at our river levels minute by minute overnight and we'll keep doing that. If anything changes we'll let our community know immediately.

"We have had 16 extreme weather events since 2017. I don't have numbers, but I'm well aware that lots of people have gone to whānau and friends."

Stoltz praised the civil defence response, saying her team was a "well-oiled machine" as they have had practice runs "time after time", learning to adapt.

"Our community is awesome, they are so responsive. When we make the call saying 'please be ready' we can count that they are ready and so I'm so incredibly proud of how our community is getting ready for events like that and taking self-responsibility."

Mayor Rehette Stoltz. Photo/Gisborne District Council

Stolz, who has been up since 1am alongside her community, said it was all out of love for the community and she aimed to keep them safe.

She added that her "awesome team" also helped her when times got tough, but admitted that the extreme weather events in the last couple of, years could shatter spirits.

"I speak on behalf of our community saying we are over this.

“We need a break from extreme weather events. It's really taxing on our community. Not only financially and on our infrastructure but also emotionally.

"So, yes please we could do with a break."