Overview
- Police searching for missing Karori resident Philip Sutton found a body on Wednesday near the mouth of Karori Stream on Wellington’s south coast, with formal identification pending.
- The regional emergency was lifted in Upper Hutt, Porirua and Kāpiti Coast, while Wellington city and Wairarapa remain under emergency powers as crews assess damage and support evacuees.
- State Highway 2 over the Remutaka Hill reopened on Wednesday after repairs to a bridge washout, though some crossings such as the Waihenga Bridge on SH53 stayed closed due to high water.
- Following Monday’s flash flooding, Wellington City Council reported about 20 homes uninhabitable, welfare services took in dozens of displaced residents, and businesses began clearing silt and debris.
- Short, intense downpours dumped up to 77mm in less than an hour on parts of the city, which overwhelmed stormwater pipes and caused pluvial flooding that experts say is becoming more likely in a warming climate.