Cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland floods inquest

The story so far

MetService's chief meteorologist was questioned about the agency's colour-coded weather warnings during the inquest.^{30 Jun 2025} On 1 July, the chief meteorologist told the inquest that a red warning for Hawke's Bay could have been issued a day before Cyclone Gabrielle hit.^{1 Jul 2025} The regional council reportedly opposed the earlier warning, expressing confidence in its own flood modelling.^{1 Jul 2025}

Latest

The chief meteorologist's evidence that a red Hawke's Bay warning could have come earlier is the newest development, with the regional council reportedly disagreeing.^{1 Jul 2025}

Key moments

1. 30 Jun 2025Coroner's inquest opens into 18 weather-related deaths from early 2023 floods
2. 30 Jun 2025MetService chief meteorologist questioned on colour-coded weather warnings
3. 1 Jul 2025Chief meteorologist says red Hawke's Bay warning could have come a day earlier

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