Hamilton City Council
Te kaunihera o Kirikiriroa
Important information for Hamiltonians.
These locations have reopened today:
Gordonton Road and Waterford Road will be reopened at 6.30pm following culvert assessments.
Rubbish and recycling services will be running as normal. Please put your rubbish and recycling bins out on the morning of your collection day, rather than the night before.
These Council services and facilities will be business as usual from tomorrow (Monday 13 April):
These locations remain closed and will be considered for reopening after inspections:
At this stage, rubbish and recycling services are running as normal.
Please put your rubbish and recycling bins out on the morning of your collection day, rather than the night before.
Road closures due to known risks with culverts.
These closures will be in effect from 5pm on 11 April until further notice.
Residents will be able to access their properties during the closure. Culverts will be assessed Sunday 12 April 2026 and road reopening will be confirmed following the assessments.
A pre-emptive regional State of Emergency has been declared for Waikato Region, effective immediately. The declaration enables our Civil Defence teams to act proactively if required and respond quickly. Please continue to get prepared, plan to stay home tomorrow, and check this page for updates.
Cyclone Vaianu is a severe tropical cyclone that is currently forecast to affect the Waikato region this weekend. Currently the Cyclone is forecast to be over Hamilton and Waikato about midday on Sunday 12 April.
Keep an eye on MetService for the latest weather forecast. Hamilton currently has a Strong Wind Warning and Heavy Rain Watch. Forecasts indicate the possibility of:
Please check our Facebook for more updates.
If your life, house or someone is in danger, call 111.
If you need to report something to us:
Here are some important tips to stay safe.
Council facilities may close during Cyclone Vaianu to keep our community and staff safe. Please check our Facebook for the latest updates before visiting, as opening hours may change at short notice.
Heavy rain from Cyclone Vaianu may increase the risk of landslides across our region.
Landslides can happen suddenly during and even after heavy rain, especially in steep areas, around banks, cliffs, and roadside cuttings.
If you can, avoid unnecessary travel in these areas over the next few days.
Watch for warning signs, you may need to act quickly:
If you notice these signs, move away immediately.
Evacuate if you think your home or building could be at risk.
Heavy rain can continue to affect land stability even after it eases, so stay alert.
Find out what to do before, during and after a landslide at getready.govt.nz/landslides.
If you see downed powerlines, don’t go near them. Always treat downed powerlines and poles as live and stay far away. Remember that down means danger – if you see a downed powerline, stay well clear and call WEL Networks immediately on 0800 800 935.
Stay out of it. Never try to walk, swim, drive through, or play in flood water. Even flood waters of 30cm of water can sweep you off your feet or cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Fast-flowing water is often filled with debris, and it’s often contaminated and can hide hazards.
If the power goes out, we’ll do everything we can to keep information flowing, including on‑road signage, door knocking where needed, and working with local media.
Take simple steps now like charging phones and having torches and spare batteries ready, and tune into RNZ National on a battery or car radio (101.0 FM or 1143 AM). If the event is very serious, stay home and shelter in place using your emergency supplies. If it’s unsafe to stay home and you can’t go to friends or family, we’ll share civil defence information via road signage and door knocking. If mobile coverage is available, we’ll also share updates on our website, Facebook and Antenno.
If your life, house or someone is in danger, call 111.
If you need to report something to Council, use the Antenno App or call 07 838 6699 for urgent issues.
Our crews are clearing known flooding hotspots, but we can’t reach every street in time – your help will make a difference.
We’re not able to provide sandbags to all individual properties, but we have provided sand and sandbags to known properties where habitable areas are prone to flooding. We communicate directly with the residents in these high-risk flood areas.
Council will set up Civil Defence Centres if they’re needed. We have several possible locations across the city, and we will choose the most appropriate ones to activate once we know the impacts to Hamilton and most affected communities. Follow our Facebook for updates.
We’re keeping an eye on the Cyclone path and progression, proactively sweeping leaves from streets and drains in flooding hotspots, monitoring river and stream levels, and preparing our teams to be on-call if needed over the weekend. Should the event be significant, we'll work with community agencies to look after our vulnerable communities. If you have friends or family that require special assistance, please check on them ahead of the weekend.
Landslides can happen suddenly during and even after heavy rain, especially in steep areas, around banks, cliffs, and roadside cuttings. If you can, avoid unnecessary travel in these areas over the next few days.
Watch for warning signs, you may need to act quickly:
If you notice these signs, move away immediately and call Council on 07 838 6699. Evacuate if you think your home or building could be at risk.