A view of a slip near a house on a clifftop caused by continuous bad weather as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches in Auckland, New Zealand, February 12, 2023. /Reuters
The New Zealand government has declared a National State of Emergency for just the third time in history as Cyclone Gabrielle causes wide spread flooding, landslides and huge ocean swells across the North Island.
Kieran McAnulty, the minister for Emergency Management, said in a statement on Tuesday that widespread damage caused by this cyclone means a national declaration was needed to support those impacted.
A National State of Emergency has only been declared on two previous occasions - following the 6.3 quake in Christchurch in 2011 and in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.