Why were swift water specialist teams not pre-deployed in South Waikato and Ōtorohanga, despite the severe thunderstorm red warning?

Answer

I am advised that Fire and Emergency’s Specialist Water Rescue Teams are deployed or pre-positioned based on an assessment of risk across the affected area, informed by weather forecasting and coordination with partner agencies. For the severe thunderstorm event of 13–15 February 2026, forecasting from MetService and Earth Sciences indicated that the predominant risk was land instability rather than widespread swift water incidents. In that context, and following discussions with Civil Defence Emergency Management, one request for a Specialist Water Rescue Team was received for Tairāwhiti and was approved. No requests were received, and no operational need was identified at the time, to pre-deploy Specialist Water Rescue Teams to South Waikato or Ōtorohanga.