12:13PM: Escalating flood conditions means that the closure of State Highway 1 in North Canterbury has been extended to between Waipara in Canterbury, and Ward in Marlborough, and this closure is now expected to remain in place overnight.

In addition to flooding from the Conway River affecting several kilometres of SH1 near Hawkswood, in an area known locally as ‘Siberia’, a state of emergency has now been declared for the Kaikōura district after the Kowhai River also breached its banks.

With the likelihood of extensive flooding continuing through today both north and south of Kaikōura, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has made a call that the SH1 closure will remain overnight, to be reassessed in daylight tomorrow.

NZTA appreciates the level of disruption this closure of the South Island’s main transport route means, but the scale of the flooding means it is unavoidable. The route, or parts of it, will reopen when it is safe for road users. A detour is available inland via State Highways 7, 65 and 6, but this will add significantly to travel times.

MetService’s red heavy rain warning for Marlborough and Canterbury between Ward and Hanmer Springs and southeast of the Awatere Valley, including the Kaikoura Range, remains in place until 6am tomorrow.