Civil Defence Minister Kieran McAnulty told AM the weather had been 'incredibly severe” overnight.

'The news that's coming out from overnight is distressing, the reports of trapped firefighters. They are professionally trained but they are volunteers, they left their families to help out and, it's distressing.”

McAnulty said crews in Gisborne, which has limited communications, were 'working incredibly hard to reconnect communications”.

'AM/FM frequencies are still accessible, and we are working with RNZ and other media outlets to get crucial information out.”

'Everyone there should have a battery radio and car radio, so if power goes out they have that to access information.”

McAnulty did not know how many homes across the North Island had been evacuated overnight, agencies were in meetings now to establish this.

In regards to McNaulty declaring a State of Emergency, they were gathering information from local teams on the ground, and as soon as he had been advised to sign it he will, saying 'the forms have been sitting on my desk since Sunday”.

'This is not a reflection of a lack of confidence of local teams, it's whether they need assistance.”

McAnulty said for those waking up in areas who have declared states of emergency should stay home if they can, and evacuate if they feel unsafe.

'Please keep up to date with local advice, from councils, Waka Kotahi, MetService, Civil Defence.

It is important you heed advice, it's a serious event and we need to continue to look after ourselves and follow advice.”

If a national state of emergency is declared, McAnulty would ring the Prime Minister, who is in Auckland, and the opposition spokesperson for Civil Defence, 'as there is no politics in a state of emergency”.