After yet another wet few days, and with a new heavy rain watch in place for the Bay of Plenty from Saturday to Monday, Tauranga City Council is urging residents to take care on the roads and watch for potential weather-related impacts this weekend.

Sarah Omundsen, General Manager: Regulatory and Compliance, is Council's Civil Defence Controller this week. Sarah and the team have been keeping a close eye on weather updates.

'The ground can only soak up so much water. With more rain ahead, there is an increased risk of surface flooding and landslides. Landslides can occur without any trigger but are most associated with heavy rainfall.

'If a landslide occurs – or you see any signs that the ground is unstable – evacuate immediately. If lives are in danger, dial 111. Otherwise, seek advice from your local council once you are in a safe location. Following a landslide, stay away from the landslide area as further landslides may occur.”

The city's water and roading infrastructure has held up well, with no significant issues reported during the heavy rain warning despite torrential downpours.

If residents need to report an issue they can call our Contact Centre 24/7 on 07 577 7000. Residents should follow Bay of Plenty Civil Defence and MetService New Zealand for the latest weather and emergency updates, and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Waikato BoP for road closures and slips.

Sports fields

"Council contacted sports field users earlier this week to strongly recommended they cancel any activity planned for sports fields this weekend. While council makes recommendations on use, it is usually the individual clubs' decision as to whether sports will go ahead," says a Tauranga City Council spokesperson.

"However, following the heavy rain, and with more forecasted in the short-term, council has now taken the rare step of closing sports fields this weekend. Hard courts are not included in this closure. Field users were notified this morning.

"Please note we have made one exemption in consultation with Tauranga City AFC. This exemption is for the Chatham Cup football match that will be played on Links Ave #2 field."

Alison Law, Manager: Spaces and Places, says the decision was made to protect the fields for the rest of the winter season.

'The majority of reserves across the city are waterlogged. Using the sports fields this weekend is highly likely to cause a lot of damage to the grounds, which we may not be able to repair before the end of the season. I appreciate this will impact clubs and planned activities, and we do apologise, but we want clubs to be able to use the fields for the remaining winter season. We are very grateful to all those impacted for your understanding."

Event postponement

"This Sunday's Blindzone Demonstration event has been postponed due to the weather forecast. We are organising a new date, which will be posted on the Travel Safe Facebook page when the date is confirmed," says the council spokesperson.