13 February 2023

NZ Service Announcement | Cyclone Gabrielle

UPDATE 16 FEB 2023

With the recent impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle continuing to be experienced across many parts of the North Island this communication is to update you on our current network operations:

Northland
Conditions have begun to improve.  With access to Whangarei and Kaitaia open, our branches can now receive freight, however deliveries to many parts of the wider Northland region will be delayed due to continuing road closures.

Coromandel Peninsula
Access to the Coromandel Peninsula north of Thames and Whangamata is still limited, however our team are out delivering in Thames, Kopu, Paeroa, and Waihi.  

Gisborne Tairawhiti
This region is still impacted by power and communication outages. Accessing Gisborne via SH2 from the south is closed and will be closed for some time. Access from the north via Opotiki was briefly opened last night. Should conditions allow, scheduled convoys between Gisborne and Opotiki will be implemented daily.

Hawke’s Bay
Our Hastings branch is fully operational.  The Napier-Taupo Road is still closed but routes to the south are open.  Our Napier facility is currently without power. Upon restoration the team will resume operations. Road access is now available between Hastings and Napier.

With a severe thunderstorm watch in place for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay recovery and access in these areas could be further affected.

Cook Strait ferry services have resumed, however delays can still be expected as vehicle backlogs are cleared following cancelations earlier this week.

KiwiRail have confirmed that the North Island Main Trunk Line (Auckland to Wellington), and the Main North Line (Christchurch to Picton) are now fully open. 

Whilst our team have felt the ravages of Cyclone Gabrielle they are all safe and well. Our thoughts go out to all those who have been impacted.

Our team continue to appreciate your support and patience as we manage the changing conditions throughout the affected regions.

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UPDATE 14 Feb 2023

A National State of Emergency was declared this morning as Cyclone Gabrielle moves across the country and impacts more regions.  Overnight and today there have been further road closures, power cuts, and communication outages with access to some communities totally cut off.
 
KiwiRail have confirmed the rail network north of Marton will remain closed until further inspections are completed. With Cyclone Gabrielle moving further south, the Main North Line between Christchurch and Picton has also be closed for today.
 
Cook Strait ferry services are scheduled to resume tomorrow morning. This is dependent on weather conditions.
 
Roads throughout the North Island have been affected by heavy rain and wind overnight. The Gisborne, Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions are currently without power and communication connections while roads into both areas are also closed.
 
Freight services to Northland, Coromandel, Gisborne, Whakatane, Napier and Hastings have been halted until weather and access improve. Our local teams are managing this hourly as conditions change. For any freight required for emergency relief please contact your local branch to enable us to prioritise this for movement when roads reopen.
 
Auckland Port has advised normal operations will resume tomorrow at 7am.  Vessels are expected to begin moving into Ports of Auckland from 7pm tonight.  Please allow for delays and congestion on container bookings as the backlog from previous days is worked through. 
 
Empty container depots across Auckland have re-opened where it is safe to do so.  All locations are monitoring wind speeds and these parks may close at short notice.
 
Air New Zealand’s international and domestic terminals have re-opened and are receiving import and export cargo.  However, strong gusts at Auckland Airport are impacting flight schedules.
 
The impacts of this Cyclone continue to change by the hour. We will keep you updated as more information is made available.

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UPDATE 13 Feb 2023

This service update is to keep you informed of the changing conditions as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to move across New Zealand.
 
We have been advised that Cook Strait ferry services will be cancelled from 2:00am Tuesday morning until 2:00am Wednesday morning delaying inter-island freight movements.
 
KiwiRail have confirmed that their rail network north of Marton will continue to be closed until tomorrow morning.  Weather permitting their track teams will be inspecting the lines early tomorrow to determine when services can resume. 
 
Ports of Auckland will continue to suspend container operations, with a planned resumption of services Wednesday morning.
 
Freight services to Northland and Coromandel will be held in our Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Auckland branches pending improving weather and access conditions.  For any freight required for emergency relief please contact your local branch to enable us to prioritise this for movement.
 
With conditions expected to deteriorate overnight this may have an impact on our inter-branch freight connections and deliveries tomorrow.   Our branches will monitor their local conditions closely.
 
We thank you for your understanding as we expect further delays.  We will continue to keep you updated as more information comes to hand.

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UPDATE 13 Feb 2023

Cyclone Gabrielle, which started approaching New Zealand Saturday evening, has brought strong wind and heavy rain conditions across the North Island.  These conditions are expected to continue in the coming days.


The MetService has issued Red Warnings for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, and the Gisborne regions with Orange warnings in place for the rest of the North Island and upper South Island.  These warnings and watches are effective through until Tuesday.

Whilst the full extent of Cyclone Gabrielle is unclear, high winds and heavy rainfall have resulted in power outages and road closures throughout these areas which impact our operations.  Additionally, Rail Services throughout the majority of the North Island have been closed temporarily.

Numerous major Air & Ocean infrastructure providers across the North Island have notified their reduced working capacity or closure. This includes Auckland Port, multiple empty container depots, and Auckland Airport’s freight handling terminals for import and export cargo.

Worsening conditions in Northland have meant our Whangarei and Kaitaia branches have temporarily ceased operations until circumstances improve.  The remainder of our branches across Warehousing, Air & Ocean and Transport are operational.  Our local teams will closely monitor their situations to ensure the safety of our team.  However, with widespread disruption and restricted access in some regions, we can expect delays over the coming days.

Our teams appreciate your patience as they work through this latest weather disruption. We will provide updates as more information arises or situations change.