State of emergency declared in Auckland after floods hit city

A state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday evening by the city’s mayor, Wayne Brown, due to surging floods following heavy rainfall in New Zealand’s capital, just 36 hours out from the start of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. 

Persistent heavy rainfall, estimated at an entire summer’s worth in just one day, has left several areas of the city having experienced the wettest day on record. 

The international airport terminal in the city was at one stage forced to close, having been impacted by rising flood levels inside the building, leaving flights grounded and arrivals diverted to Christchurch.

The vast majority of industry participants attending the six-day NZB yearling sale at Karaka, in the southern district of Auckland, have already arrived in the city ahead of the beginning of Book 1 on Sunday.

However, those with late travel plans will likely be impacted. Major roads in the city have been blocked, including on the State Highway 1, which closed at certain sections of the Northern and Southern Motorways, the latter around 25 kilometres north of the Karaka sales complex. 

The sale, as of Friday evening, was scheduled to continue as planned. On-site inspections at the Karaka sales complex have been carried out since Wednesday. 

Brown declared the state of emergency at 9.54pm (NZDT) on Friday, as more than 400 millimetres of rain was reported to have fallen in a single day. 

"This is going to be a horrible night for thousands of Aucklanders and their families,” Brown said in a statement.

“My thoughts are with those Aucklanders affected, including many of those who have been evacuated from their homes and have a hard night ahead.”