South Island Flood Response

Heavy rain leading to severe flooding has hit the West Coast of the South Island. A state of emergency has been declared in Nelson as the Maitai River breached its banks. Some 223 homes in Nelson have already been evacuated. This is a one-in-100-year weather event, and we're on the ground to help.

The Universal-Motor-Gerät, more commonly known by as the Unimog, is a high clearance vehicle, with big wheels which can often be unaffected by flooded areas or waterways.

A team of Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel from Base Woodbourne have been on the ground in the Nelson Tasman region providing support in response to severe weather in the South Island.

The team have been transporting important equipment as well as personnel from other agencies, assisting with evacuations, and carrying out cordon tasks - all in support of the emergency operations centre.

Our Unimog has also enabled our personnel to access areas unreachable by other vehicles, while transporting equipment with its large load capacity.

After days of helping clean up after the one in a 100 years flooding in the South Island, NZDF personnel are heading back to base to recharge. They'll be on standby for further action.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is providing support in the Westport, Greymouth and the Nelson-Tasman areas following the severe weather in the South Island.