Mayor Tracey Collis has declared a state of emergency for the Tararua District as per advice given by Civil Defence staff to assist in the response of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The declaration was signed at 8.49am Tuesday under Section 68 of the Civil Defence Emergency Act 2002 owing to coastal risk and severe flooding throughout the district.

The state of emergency will be in force for 24 hours but will be reviewed as required.

Residents in areas that are flooding are being instructed to move to higher ground and the council says it is in communication with affected communities. The council and Civil Defence are continuing to monitor the situation and say any information will be made available on their channels to keep the community informed.