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Asked by
Kahurangi Carter
List MP · Green Party
Question
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Were any aerial cannabis operations deployed during any states of emergency for severe weather this term, and if so, which severe weather events?
Answered by
Hon Mark Mitchell
Member for Whangaparāoa · National Party · Minister of Police
Answer
I am advised that, during this term, two out of five aerial cannabis operation deployments continued while coinciding with serve weather events that resulted in declarations of a state of emergency. The remaining three flying operations were cancelled. The two operations that proceeded occurred during: • the precautionary state of emergency declared in the Whangārei district, Northland, on 20 January 2026 and 3 February 2026, following the impact of previous storms and; • the state of emergency declared in the Waipa district, Waikato, on the 14 February 2026 due to heavy rain and flooding.