Wairoa Mayor Craig Little had nothing but praise for the support and resources allocated to Wairoa during the weekend of heavy rain and wind warnings.

"Minister for Civil Defence Mark Mitchell called into town tonight to get a feel for the situation, and we were very reassured by his visit," Mayor Little said.

"Earlier in the day, Minister Mitchell had expressed his concern for Wairoa as the wild weather continued to hit our district, and with a particular focus on SH2 and Wairoa's potential isolation."

Mayor Little said the Minister has always been a great supporter of Wairoa and visited tonight because he knows we have been hit hard in the past and he wanted to ensure we had the support we need - which we do.

"We have been really looked after by out-of-town staff and resources from FENZ, NZ Defence Force, Urban Search and Rescue, Police and St Johns who have been deployed and are on the ground at Mahia and Wairoa.

"Minister Mitchell also praised the leadership of Civil Defence Controller Juanita Savage.

"He described Wairoa as being very good at emergency management, which is because unfortunately we have learned a lot through the experiences we have had.

"It is great to have such a strong relationship with the Minister and other emergency staff who have backed us up over the past couple of days.

"We are not in the clear, this weather pattern is unpredictable, but we are as prepared as we can be."

15 February 2026

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