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The clean-up has begun after severe weather brought on by Cyclone Vaianu hammered much of the North Island at the weekend.
All weather warnings and watches have been lifted for the Bay of Plenty, while the state of local emergency for Tauranga has been lifted.
Vaianu has tracked away from the mainland, after causing power cuts, flooding and road closures across the east coast of the North Island.
The weather system brought 220mm of rain to Coromandel and wind gusts of 126 km/h were recorded at Māhia.
In the central North Island almost 3000 properties remained without power about noon on Monday.
A heavy rain watch is in place for Northern Taranaki, Waitomo, Taumarunui, and Taupō west of the lake.
The Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group has ended the declaration of emergency for the region and has now entered the recovery phase.
The local state of emergency was declared on Saturday, before Cyclone Vaianu, and was in place for seven days.
The region-wide declaration was rare, but made because of the potential scale and expected impacts of the ex-tropical cyclone.
“The declaration helped us to act early, with our communities and partner agencies, to reduce the likely consequences of the approaching cyclone. We are very grateful to how our community responded and the level of preparation,” Councillor Emma Pike said.
“Our goal is always to prevent loss of life: It’s the reason we exist.”
There were no reported injuries or deaths in Waikato due to the cyclone, and most displaced people have now returned home.
With the end of the emergency declaration, the focus now shifts to the recovery phase, where local authorities, communities, and agencies will work on repairing, restoring, and rebuilding.
Ongoing support will be provided to affected residents to help them return to normal.
The State of Emergency for the Northland region lifted at 5pm today.
The Northland Regional Council said this decision was made following consultation with local councils, emergency services, and welfare support agencies.
“There are still some welfare, roading, and clean-up issues to work through in parts of Northland, including issues from previous events that have been exacerbated by this weather,” Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) group chair Colin Kitchen said.
“However, we are confident we can continue supporting our communities without the need for a state of emergency.”
Parts of the region are still recovering from previous weather events, and local councils, lifeline utilities, and support agencies will remain focused on repairs and supporting the community.
MetService said the severe thunderstorm warning has been lifted for the Bay of Plenty radar area.
