The New Zealand Emergency Management Minister, Kieran McAnulty, announced Tuesday the measure, signed early this morning, "to assist in the response to the cyclone".

McAnulty indicated that this is the third time in New Zealand's history that a state of emergency has been declared in the country, in this case because "this is an unprecedented meteorological phenomenon that is having a significant impact".

The last time a national emergency was declared was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, while the previous instance was during the Canterbury earthquakes.