Wairoa's mayor Craig Little has made contact, saying the town's been hit by the most catastrophic weather event in living memory. 

He says there's been severe river flooding after the water rose at an unprecedented rate.

Craig Little says emergency assistance is desperately needed in Wairoa, with parts of the district devastated.

He says hundreds of people have been evacuated, and there are many more whom they have not been able to contact.

Meanwhile, further up the coast, many communities around Tairāwhiti are cut off - roads are covered in slips, bridges have been washed out, and communication networks are still down. 

Approximately 200 people remain in Civil Defence Welfare Centres in the region.

In Te Araroa near East Cape, hauora provider Manaaki Matakāoa has been helping care for locals.

Tina Ngata leads the team, and she spoke to Max Towle about what had been happening.