Crisis Management Team updates

Saturday 28 January 2023

Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University has activated its Crisis Management Team following Cyclone Gabrielle, and earlier flooding across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Exterior of Sir Neil Waters building with students exiting down the steps
Last updated: Wednesday 15 February 2023

Update: 12.35pm Tuesday 14 February

This morning, Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty declared a National State of Emergency, following the devastating impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle across most of the North Island.

The Crisis Management Team (CMT) met this morning to discuss the impacts for staff and students and decide how best to operate over the coming days.

Manawatū campus to close today due to power outages 

The Manawatū campus is currently without power. The outage is widespread, and it is not known when the power will resume. Therefore, the campus will close for the rest of the day. Staff who are on campus are advised to travel home if it is safe to do so.

Manawatū/Wellington campus on Wednesday

If you need to work from home to look after your family, property or pets, if there are power outages on campus, or if it is unsafe to travel, please do so. Your safety is our utmost priority. Please also reschedule any non-essential travel between the Wellington and Manawatū campus.

Auckland campus to reopen tomorrow

While the worst of the weather appears to have passed over the region, there will be ongoing disruption including widespread power outages which could last for some days, limited public transport, and multiple road closures.

The campus has been assessed this morning, and there has been no significant damage. Therefore, the Auckland campus will be open and operational from tomorrow. We still strongly encourage you to work from home, for the remainder of the week, if safe to do so.

Reduced hours for campus services in Auckland

The following services will be open from tomorrow, with limited hours and reduced staff for the remainder of the week:

  • Library – 10am-3pm
  • Health and Counselling Centre – 10am-3pm
  • Campus Information Services – 10am-3pm
  • Recreation Centre – Normal operating hours
  • Food for Thought café – 8.30am-12pm

Te Ohanga Village remains open and operational for residents.

Student support

Please check your course Stream sites for updates on how your learning will be facilitated. Massey offers provisions for impaired performance if the weather event impacts on your ability to sit an exam or complete an assignment on time, for example. Please contact your course coordinator about how we can help.

Please remember Massey has a number of resources available to support students. There is also a free 24/7 counselling service available from the Mental Health Foundation by texting or calling 1737.

Update: 12pm Sunday 12 February

Cyclone Gabrielle

Cyclone Gabrielle is beginning to descend on Aotearoa New Zealand and is expected to bring extreme weather to the upper North Island from today.

  • Civil Defence is urging people to prepare - clear gutters and drains, review evacuation plans and tie down loose outdoor items.
  • The Auckland Harbour Bridge may have lanes restricted or be fully closed, at short notice.
  • Metservice has issued several weather warnings and watches for the North Island and upper South Island.

On Friday, we asked staff who didn’t need to be on campus to remain home where possible, however the Crisis Management Team (CMT) met this morning and have decided to close the campus. The health and safety of our people is our priority, and we want to minimise risk as much as possible.

What does this mean for Auckland staff and students?

There will be no in-person teaching on campus on Monday and Tuesday. We will continue to assess the situation and this period may be extended if necessary.

All staff should work from home - the only exceptions being staff whose roles are essential for the continuity of critical campus operations and infrastructure. All buildings on campus will be locked from this evening, with existing 'after hours' access permissions in effect.

All services usually provided on campus, such as the Recreation Centre, the library, cafés and the Health and Counselling Centre will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Te Ohanga Village remains open and operational for residents.

Campus no longer being used as a Civil Defence Centre

Following the recent weather events in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the Sir Neil Waters building was used as a Civil Defence Centre (CDC), however this has now moved off campus. You can find a list of the current CDCs, Community Hubs and Shelter Sites here.

Further updates

The university will continue to follow the guidance of Auckland Emergency Management (AEM). If we are required to extend the closure of the campus, communications will be circulated as soon as possible.

Update: 10.13am Friday 3 February

The Crisis Management Team have met daily since last Saturday morning to assess the situation and the impacts on our staff and students. It appears the city is now in the recovery phase of the emergency, so pending any further significant developments, it’s been decided that CMT will now not reconvene until next week, to review our emergency response and make decisions around any ongoing issues, should there be any. We will publish any further updates, if required, here.

Return to campus next week  

We will be resuming in-person teaching and learning on our Auckland campus from Tuesday 7 February, following the Waitangi Day public holiday. This means that all lectures, labs, tutorials, research and other activities will return to normal.

Minor damage to the campus 

On Thursday, we received reports of minor damage to three areas on campus, following heavy rain fall and strong winds in the early hours of Wednesday morning. These include a computer lab in the Quadrangle B building, a leak in the roof of the Recreation Centre, and damage to a skylight in the Student Central building. Repair work is underway. The Recreation Centre remains fully operational, while the computer lab (QB B01) will be closed next week to allow time to dry out.

Thank you 

CMT would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly over the past week to respond to this emergency, and keep our staff, students and Auckland community safe and looked after.

Update: 3.21pm Wednesday 1 February

The Crisis Management Team (CMT) met again this morning to assess the situation. Fortunately, there has been no further damage to campus following the latest weather system, and the campus remains open and fully operational.

Order from the Secretary for Education is being lifted

This afternoon, the order from the Secretary for Education made on Monday, suspending all in-person teaching at educational institutions across Auckland, was lifted. This means universities, schools, kura and early childcare centres can open as usual from tomorrow, if safe to do so.

To not cause further disruption to staff and students, all scheduled face-to-face learning and teaching on the Auckland Campus will remain online until Tuesday 7 February.

Civil Defence Centre

The Civil Defence Centre for the North Shore remains in the Sir Neil Waters building. There are currently 21 people being cared for at the welfare centre, and 26 people requiring emergency accommodation are staying in Te Ohanga Village. These numbers will continue to fluctuate.

Please stay home

While the campus remains open and operational, any staff and students who don’t need to be on site, should stay home. The local State of Emergency remains in place, and the advice is to stay off the roads. This will help the emergency response teams working across the city and region and allow vital infrastructure to be assessed and repaired.

Services on campus

Some facilities closed early yesterday to allow staff to get home safely following the red heavy rain warning. Operating hours are listed below:

  • Library – Reduced operating hours for the remainder of this week – 10am-4pm. Will be closed this weekend.
  • Recreation Centre – Normal operating hours.
  • Health and Counselling Centre – Reduced operating hours – 9am-4pm.
  • Campus Information Services – Reduced operating hours – 9am-4pm.
  • Food for Thought café – Reduced operating hours – 8.30am-12pm

Update: 12.50pm Tuesday 31 January

There are weather warnings in place for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and surrounding regions, with heavy rainfall and high winds forecast over the next 24 hours.

  • Red heavy rain warnings are in place for Northland, Auckland north of Orewa and Coromandel Peninsula.
  • Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Auckland from Orewa southwards, Great Barrier Island and Bay of Plenty.
  • Gale force winds are also forecast which could see the Harbour Bridge closed later today.
  • For the latest weather warnings, please visit the Metservice website.
  • There are a number of road closures in place across the region. Please visit the Waka Kotahi website for updates.

Flood mitigation work underway

While the campus remains relatively unscathed following the flooding, with more bad weather on the way, flood mitigation work is being carried out to ensure we remain open and operational and avoid any future damages.

Community support

Many of you have reached out to offer support or donations to the community – thank you. If you want to help or donate goods or services to the Auckland organisations helping with the emergency response, there’s a great list via The Spinoff here.

Update: 6.16pm Monday 30 January

This afternoon we have been advised of an order issued by the Secretary for Education, directing all tertiary institutions and other education providers in the Auckland region to suspend in-person teaching until Tuesday 7 February.

Earlier today, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) asked the Secretary for Education to take action to help minimise traffic movement on Auckland roads while vital infrastructure is urgently repaired.

With the possibility of further weather damage leading to more disruption and call outs for emergency response services, the Secretary for Education has directed that schools, kura, early learning services and tertiary institutions in the Auckland region, from Wellsford to Pukekohe, must suspend in person learning and teaching until 7 February 2023.

What does this mean for Auckland staff and students?

While the campus remains open and operational, including services such as the Library, Recreation Centre, Campus Information Services and computer labs, any staff and students who do not need to be on site, should stay home. This includes non-essential research. The local State of Emergency remains in place, and the advice is to stay off the roads. This will help the emergency response teams working across the city and region.

All scheduled face-to-face learning and teaching on the Auckland Campus will be replaced by online learning. Students - Please check your course Stream sites to receive updates on how your learning will be facilitated between now and 7 February.

Update: 1.27pm Monday 30 January

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and the top of the North Island continue to experience widespread disruption following Friday’s severe weather event and ongoing periods of heavy rain, localised flooding and slips. Many of our staff and students are impacted by this.

Support for students 

We have loan devices and financial hardship support available to those students currently studying as well as a small number of rooms available in the Te Ohanga Village student halls for students who require emergency accommodation.

If you are experiencing heightened levels of stress or anxiety due to this event, please remember Massey has a number of resources available to support students. This includes our Student Counselling Service, TalkCampus and there is free 24/7 counselling available from the Mental Health Foundation by texting or calling 1737.

Stay home and avoid non-essential travel

While the campus remains open and operational, any staff and students who don’t need to be on site, should stay home. The local State of Emergency remains in place, and the advice is to stay off the roads. This will help the emergency response teams working across the city and region.

Non-essential travel to the region should be avoided. There are many road closures, continued disruptions at Auckland Airport and more bad weather is forecast over the coming days.

Please contact Orbit to rearrange any non-essential travel plans to a later date.

Civil Defence Centre

The Civil Defence Centre remains in place at the Sir Neil Waters building. We are continuing to work with emergency services to offer support in any ways we can. Please stay safe and follow guidance from Auckland Emergency Management.

CMT will be meeting again to assess the situation tomorrow, and any further updates will be shared here.

Update: 12.40pm Sunday 29 January

The Crisis Management Team (CMT) met again this morning to assess the situation on the Auckland campus and what this means for our staff and students, following the devastating weather event on Friday. The local State of Emergency remains in place.

A full building assessment has been carried out, and fortunately there is no significant damage. While the campus remains open and operational, any staff and students who don’t need to be on site this weekend, should stay home. The library, which is normally open from 1pm-5pm on weekends, will be closed today.

The Civil Defence Centre remains in place at the Sir Neil Waters building for anyone needing emergency support. We are continuing to work with emergency services to offer support in any ways we can, including emergency accommodation at Te Ohanga Village for staff, students and members of the general public.

CMT will be meeting again to assess the situation tomorrow, and any further updates will be shared here.

Update: 11.27am Saturday 28 January

We’re working through what support services we can offer to students and staff and will be sending out an email later today with details. This page will also be updated as more information is available.

The Sir Neil Waters building on the Auckland campus is being used as a Civil Defence Centre, and we ask that all staff and students who don’t need to be on campus this weekend, stay home.

Please stay safe, check on your friends and whānau and look after each other.