Yesterday’s stormy blast has left its mark, with a state of emergency declared for the Southland region.

Extreme winds and patchy network coverage have disrupted many of our monitoring sites, so data isn’t displaying as expected for some sites.

Our teams are already out across Southland, working to maintain the information flow and get sites back up and running where they can.

Due to conditions in the region, some sites might take a bit longer to get back online, thanks for your patience!

Our catchment operations team is aware of fallen trees on the Ōtautau and Mataura flood banks and debris on Invercargill walkways. Please call us if you spot any large trees across or damage to flood banks.

The Kingswell walking track behind Southland Hospital is closed due to fallen trees.

Although key boating events have been cancelled this long weekend, our navigational safety team is urging extreme caution on the water.

Debris is likely to be floating around Fiordland, Southern Lakes, and coastal areas, especially near river mouths. The Harbourmaster is checking Bluff Harbour today for any damage.

We know power outages are causing real challenges, including the tough call to dump milk. Although it’s not ideal, if you need to do this, please use your effluent pond and let our compliance team know so we can follow up later.

Likewise, call us if you have a near-full or full pond and need to irrigate wet soils. If irrigation is necessary, choose paddocks carefully to avoid runoff into tile drains or discharges to waterways.

We’re here to help, reach out to our compliance team for support.

We’re available 24/7 for urgent environmental incidents - call 0800 76 88 45.

The Antenno app is a great way to reach us for non-urgent matters.

Stay safe out there, and thanks for working with us while we get things back on track.