Me Rapu Mōhiohio Stay Informed

If the power goes out, a solar-or battery-powered radio (or your car radio) can help you keep up to date with the latest news.

Download the Civil Defence Radio Stations, or check your location stations to listen to during an emergency below.

If you are unsure which station to tune to, RNZ is a good first choice. RNZ is Aotearoa New Zealand’s statutory civil defence lifeline radio broadcaster. That means RNZ will provide vital information and updates as they come to hand on air and online during an emergency.

Local radio stations to listen to during an emergency:

Our official social media channel

• Facebook: Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management

National Emergency Management Agency channels

• Find more about the National Emergency Management Agency | National Emergency Management Agency Website (civildefence.govt.nz)
• Find official emergency information and advice on how to be better prepared for disasters in New Zealand  Facebook: NZ Civil Defence  
• Find emergency and disaster updates |Twitter: National Emergency Management Agency
• For advice on preparing for disasters | Twitter: Get Ready 

EMAs are messages about emergencies that are sent by authorised emergency agencies to capable mobile phones. The alerts keep people safe and are broadcast to all capable phones from targeted cell towers.

The alerts are targeted to areas affected by serious hazards. They will only be sent when there is a serious threat to life, health or property, and, in some cases, for test purposes.

To get EMAs, you need a phone capable of receiving them. The phone also needs to have cell reception and up-to-date software. You don’t have to download an app or subscribe to a service.

If you get an alert, read the message and take it seriously. It will tell you what the emergency is and what to do. It will also tell you which agency sent the message and, if needed, where to go for more information.

For more information about the EMA , or to check that your phone is capable of receiving these alerts, visit Getready.govt.nz/ema

Television stations to watch during an emergency:

• 1News - broadcast by TVNZ on channels 1 and 11, and digitally via the TVNZ+ app and website and 1News website.
• ThreeNews - broadcast by Three on channel 3, and digitally via the ThreeNow website and app (show produced by Stuff).

Media outlets will regularly share information during emergencies. Those with the capability will often run live blogs on their websites, providing up-to-date information as it comes to hand:

• RNZ
• Stuff
• NZ Herald
• 1News

If the power goes down and internet is out, some media outlets will work to deliver physical editions of their newspapers to areas. This has happened regularly over the years, with some outlets using helicopters to get newspapers to hard-to-reach locations which may be cut off. 

Media outlets will also use radio. You can learn which frequencies to tune to on this webpage here. Write down the frequencies and keep them with your emergency radio and/or emergency kit. 

Metservice

Check out what the weather is doing in your part of the region by keeping up-to-date with the latest information from MetService. MetService will also show if there are any weather warnings coming your way.

Details of all earthquakes located in and around New Zealand are available on the GeoNet app within a few minutes of their occurrence. You can also set notifications of earthquakes by proximity to your current location (using your phone’s GPS), or you can set up alerts for multiple locations and earthquake intensities. For the technical users you can view peak ground accelerations (PGA) and velocities (PGV) recorded by our seismograph network on a map.

GeoNet Website

GeoNet App - Google Play for Android

GeoNet App -The App Store for Apple

Keep an eye on the latest state highway information via the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi website's Journey Planner page.

You can also get updates on state highway information via their social media, traffic bulletins, 24/7 freephone number 0800 HIGHWAYS, and the My Journeys email alerts. Find out more about those methods on the NZTA website here.

You can keep up to date with local road information via your city or district council.

In an emergency, you should be aware of who your power supplier is in case power goes out, or to report downed lines. 

In our region, we have different lines companies for different areas.

Northern Tararua: Scanpower

Horowhenua: Electra

Ruapehu*: The Lines Company

Everywhere else: Powerco Outages Map

*Parts of southern Ruapehu are serviced by PowerCo. Check their outages map for exact details.

Get to know your neighbours. In an emergency, you’ll be able to help each other while emergency management and emergency services are busy helping people who need them most. Get involved in your community and get to know your neighbours before an emergency happens.