The Canterbury region has been hit by floods with a state of emergency issued for the region and Civil Defence warning of ongoing dangerous river conditions and further flooding. Residents across Canterbury districts are being evacuated with emergency alerts to be sent to affected areas. In the Waimakariri districts, resident have been told to evacuate with farmers moving livestock prior to heavy rains.

DairyNZ said good advance warning enabled many farmers to be prepared but encouraged those affected by flooding to access support agencies for assistance. DairyNZ head of South Island Tony Finch said farmers needed continued support through the recovery phase with the initial focus on livestock welfare, reviewing and securing necessary winter feed and repairing infrastructure. The flooding in Canterbury is coinciding with the industry’s annual Moving Day were farmers, shareholders, contract milkers and employees move to new farms for the beginning of a new dairy season.