UPDATE 7pm

Update from KDC:

Molesworth Drive and a section of Moir Street is now open to traffic. Please only travel in this area if you need to. 

Moir Street between Insley Street and Kagan Avenue/Mangawhai Domain remains closed with an active police cordon in place, as does Old Waipu Road.

Emergency services are still working in these areas. Please remember to treat any powerlines as live, and do not touch, cut or move them. Kaipara Council will have an update on both of those areas in the morning.

If you are within the cordoned areas and require welfare assistance, please call 0800 727 059 / 09 439 7059. The welfare team will support you with anything you need.

Update from Northpower:

Apologies all – things are more complex than first thought, a change to our estimated restoration to the below new times:

Moir St area: approx midnight.

Old Waipu Rd area – End of Day tomorrow (approx 5 pm).

Please note if you are affected by this outage that the above estimated restoration times are for the Northpower main lines. If you have damage on the line from the network to your property this will take longer as our crews turn their attention to these service lines following restoration of the main lines.

Please do NOT cut any service lines away, this is only going to make the job longer. Remember – treat all lines and equipment as LIVE at all times.

Please note – FIBRE is out in the wider Mangawahai area, only the village has been restored at this stage. Teams are working on this and we estimate fibre restoration around 9pm. If fibre is not up and running at your place after 9pm please call your retailer.

Additional photos

Trees uprooted by the church in the village.

Fibreglass insulation flown across the street from a roof cavity.

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UPDATE 5pm

A message from Kaipara District Council:

MULTIPLE LIVE HAZARDS. DO NOT TOUCH, MOVE OR CUT POWER LINES

If you are on Old Waipu Road or Moir Street in the Mangawhai Village area - please do not cut, move or touch power lines - treat all lines as live.

The emergency services teams are working as fast as they can to restore power and clear the roads and footpaths to make them safe for access. People tampering with the lines, cutting or moving them is slowing down their work and efforts to restore services.

If you are within the cordoned area and need welfare assistance, call 0800 727 059 / 09 439 7059. The team will support you.

The Mangawhai council office at Unit 6, The Hub is open from 2pm and available for anyone within the cordon wanting more information or welfare assistance.

For those who remain without power, toilets can be flushed using a bucket of water sourced from your water tanks. Keep the door closed as much as possible on refrigerators and freezers, and consider eating food that can spoil easily first – such as bread and meat, first, and eating canned food last.

UPDATE: 1 pm

• 20 power poles have fallen in the Village.
• The power outage map is reduced to just a small area in the village now.

• Civil Defence is urging people to stay at home, as there are many active hazards with downed power lines in the village area. If you live inside the cordoned area (posted further below), please stay in place and do not walk or cycle within the area. Treat all powerlines as live. If you live outside the affected area, please don’t enter the cordon. Space is needed for emergency services to do their job and secure the area.
• A massive thank you to the emergency services near and far that have helped so far with the tornado event:
• Maungaturoto Fire Service
• Mangawhai Fire Service
• Kaiwaka Fire Service
• Paparoa Fire Service
• Waipu Fire Service
• Wellsford Fire Service
• Warkworth Fire Service
• Ruakaka Fire Service
• Whangarei Fire Service
• Whangarei Incident Response Units
• Papatoetoe Fire Service
• NZ Police
• St Johns
• Westpac Helicopter
• Many other local authorities including Northpower, KDC, Northland Civil Defence team and the countless locals that have offered their services, homes, food and help!

What an amazing community we have!

𝐊𝐈𝐀 𝐊𝐀𝐇𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐢 !!

• Mangawhai Beach School has sustained quite a bit of damage to their grounds and covered field. Classrooms as fine with no damage reported.

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Photo credit / Hayden Woodward

Photo credit: Neisha Voot

UPDATE 11.30am

Cames Road is now clear, the Fonterra truck has been removed. Please drive slowly and considerately if using Cames Rd as a detour. The road is sign posted as a no trucks over a certain weight. The traffic is busy and is turning the gravel road into mud.

UPDATE 10.53am

Power to Lang's Beach residents has now been restored. Power to some parts of Mangawhai is still being worked on with extensive damage to power poles.

UPDATE 10.40am

Here is an update from Kaipara District Council:

• There is currently a cordon in place around the Mangawhai Village area, where the tornado has caused the most damage. See the map below for the cordoned area.

• There are many still without power and a number of powerlines down in the area.

• Those inside the cordoned area – please stay in place and do not walk or cycle in the cordoned area. Please treat all powerlines as live.

• If you don’t live in the affected area, please do not enter the cordon – we need the emergency services to do their job and secure the area. We will update you as soon as we have more information and it is safe to come and go.

• We are working to set up a welfare centre for those who have been affected and will have more details of that soon.

• Once the area is secured, our rapid response building teams will be coming in and carrying out assessments on properties, planned for later this afternoon.

• Kaipara District Council have stood up an Emergency Operations Centre are working closely with FENZ, Northpower, Police and other agencies.

IMAGE: Cordoned area in place in Mangawhai Village.

UPDATE 10am

• Parts of Mangawhai Village now have their power restored. Still some parts of Mangawhai and Lang's without power.
• If anyone needs anything urgently from the Mangawhai pharmacy. Please pm them on FB or email [email protected] and they will do their best to help. Otherwise they are open at 10am-2pm today.
• Builders and digger drivers and roofers are offering their services often for free. If you need assistant in Mangawhai you can find their details on the local FB pages.
• Lions Club Sandsational event postponed until tomorrow Monday 27th.
• Molesworth drive is closed south of Central. May also be closed in the village.
• Avoid Cames road as a go through there is currently a Fonterra truck stuck and blocking the way through.
• New World Mangawhai is OPEN.

Photo update from Molesworth Drive and surrounds. Trees and debris currently being removed.

Photo credit: Claire Low

Photo credit: Cam Slater

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In the early hours of this morning (Sunday, 26 January), a tornado swept through Mangawhai, causing widespread destruction and leaving residents in shock. Emergency services have been working hard to address the damage, which includes downed trees, lifted roofs, power outages, and impassable roads.

Emergency Response

Hato Hone St John transported two individuals in serious condition—one by helicopter to Auckland Hospital and the other by ambulance to North Shore Hospital. Four ambulances were dispatched to the scene, while Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) deployed crews from seven brigades to respond to 16 emergency calls.

"Our initial response prioritised life safety," said Wipari Henwood, FENZ Northland District Manager. "Firefighters extricated two patients and handed them into the care of St John. We are now systematically checking homes for further damage."

A specialist drone team has been deployed from Auckland to assist with damage assessments.

Significant Damage Across Mangawhai

One of the most notable incidents occurred at Mangawhai Park, where a massive tree was brought down, ripping up water pipes in the process. Elsewhere, several houses lost their roofs, windows were blown in, and fallen trees caused damage to homes and roads.

FENZ reported that most calls originated from Molesworth Drive and Old Waipū Road, with additional reports from Langs Beach and Ruakākā. Emergency services continue to clear debris and secure the area.

Widespread Power Outages

Northpower’s electricity and fibre network sustained severe damage, with outages reported across Mangawhai Village, Mangawhai Heads, Langs Beach, and Waipū. Power was lost shortly before 3:00am, and Northpower has warned residents to prepare for extended outages as crews assess and repair the damage.

"We have a widespread outage affecting our network due to a tornado damaging property and power lines in the wider Mangawhai area," Northpower stated. Residents are advised to treat all power lines as live and check Northpower’s website for updates and estimated restoration times.

Please check the Northpower website for more information on outages and restoration times https://northpower.nz/outages/

Roads Blocked and Cordons in Place

Many roads in and around Mangawhai Village remain blocked by fallen trees and debris, including sections of Moir Street and Molesworth Drive. Emergency services have urged residents to stay off the roads to allow their teams to respond efficiently.

Coordinated Response Efforts

FENZ, Police, Hato Hone St John, and Civil Defence Northland are working together to manage the ongoing response. A systematic inspection of properties is underway, and emergency crews are addressing calls for help relating to property damage, blocked roads, and power outages.

Key Safety Advice for Residents

Authorities urge residents to:

• Treat all power lines as live.
• Avoid the impacted area and stay off roads to allow emergency services to work.
• Assess property damage only during daylight and with caution.

As emergency services continue their work, the full extent of the tornado’s impact is still being assessed. Residents are encouraged to stay updated through official channels and to prioritise safety during this challenging time.

Kia Kaha Mangawhai.