The Selwyn District Council says heavy rain has caused the Rakaia River to be in significant flood.

"Because of the high volume of water there is a risk the Rakaia River may break out onto State Highway 1 and further downstream at the Rakaia Huts."

Environment Canterbury said flows peaked at around 4,800 m3/s at Fighting Hill and will make their way through the lower parts of the river.

The council told Rakaia Huts residents that water was expected to reach the settlement around midnight.

"We advise you to be prepared and evacuate to friends and family now if you can. Door-knocking is taking place in the area."

The Waimakariri District Council has issued a final update for the night for residents threatened by rising Waimakariri River levels.

It says river levels have stabilised, but peak flows are expected around 11pm.

• Voluntary evacuation notices for Kairaki and The Pines remain in place.
• Residents will be able to return home in the morning.
• Police and Civil Defence have been door-knocking to encourage evacuation.
• Roads into the area will be monitored overnight — access is limited to residents only. 
•  A welfare centre has been set up at the Kaiapoi Rugby Club (1 Smith Street, Kaiapoi).

MetService says Friday's forecast looks better than today.

"Rain moves across parts of the North Island overnight, but Friday looks drier for most," it posted to X.

"A few spots will still see showers - even some snow up in elevated Southland.

"The worst winds have passed, though it’ll stay breezy."

The Grey District Council is working to resolve water supply issues after a lightning strike caused issues at the water treatment plant.

As a result, a number of houses are currently without water.

“Good news – we are expecting that we can supply water from the plant tonight,” Mayor Tania Gibson said.

“Residents will see their water returning depending on their elevation overnight, but we will have a precautionary boil water notice in place until possibly early next week, until we replenish our networks.”

Gibson said lightning about midday was believed to be the cause.

The council has made a water tanker and bottled water available at the council carpark.

Testing and sampling will run for days as supply resumes.

Welfare teams are available until 9pm today to assist with water deliveries for vulnerable people. Contact 027 880 6787 if you need this assistance.

In an update at 7.50pm, NZTA Otago & Southland said SH96 Mataura to Hedgehope is now open.

However, these remain closed:

• SH1 Gore to McNab – Fallen tree
• SH6 Lake Hāwea to Maungawera – Strong winds
  
• SH6 Invercargill from Bainfield Rd to Renfrew St – Obstructions
  
• SH8 Lawrence to Waitahuna – Fallen trees
  

Lines company Aurora Energy advises that some customers impacted by today’s extreme weather in Dunedin will remain without power overnight.

“Due to the scale of storm damage on our electricity network, particularly in Dunedin, some customers will not get their power restored this evening. 

"While we are doing everything we can to restore supply to as many homes as possible tonight, some outages will extend into Friday,” Aurora Energy general manager for future network and operations, Matt Settle, said. 

“Our fault crews will continue working  as long as possible this evening, but will eventually be stood down overnight to manage fatigue and ensure they are ready to continue in the morning."

At this stage, it was unable to confirm which customers will be affected overnight. 

At the peak of today’s storm, more than 16,000 customers across the Otago network were without power.

Waimakariri District Council said heavy rain in the headwaters has caused the Waimakariri River to rise rapidly.

There is now a high risk that the Kairaki stopbank may be topped around 11pm today.

Kairaki (Featherston Ave) residents:

The Waimakariri District Council advised residents to voluntarily evacuate before dark. 

Door-knocking will take place for properties at risk.

The Pines residents:

The Waimakariri District Council advised residents to prepare a go-bag and be ready to evacuate if required.

 Environment Canterbury said it recommends that residents in the Kairaki / Pines Beach area should begin preparation for an evacuation.

It also suggested residents of the secondary floodplain (McCleans Island / Coutts Island and Templars Island) should also prepare for potential evacuation.

The Waimakariri River is in high flood. 

 Environment Canterbury said they are aware of a vulnerability in the stopbank around Kairaki.