Civil Defence Waikato

20/10/2026

Who is ready to ShakeOut today 🫨

At 1.30pm (or whenever is suitable for you) practice your Drop, Cover, and Hold earthquake preparedness skills, so when the real thing happens, your mind doesn’t freeze!

The legends at NZ Civil Defence have made a countdown to ShakeOut video which will premiere a little later today.

Waikato is 8th on the regional leaderboard with a record 62,620 participants. 🥳👏🥰 (sad, we were 5th yesterday). Good news is we are currently ahead of neighbours Auckland Emergency Management, but being beaten by Civil Defence Manawatū Whanganui and Bay of Plenty Civil Defence.

📌Still time to enter our draw for the to-go bags. Head to our pinned post and tell us if you are signed up and ready to ShakeOut.

If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time:
www.getready.govt.nz/shakeout

Watch the countdown here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiFA56kqm6w

Let’s go Waikato and show NZ how epic our region is at being earthquake ready!

New Zealand ShakeOut is our national earthquake drill and tsunami h...

18/10/2026

Two more days until ShakeOut 2026!

📆 21 October 1.30pm.

This is our national earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi (evacuation).
In emergencies, our minds can go blank, that’s why it’s important to know the correct actions to take.

The official time to drill is 1.30pm but you can drill anytime you like.

Here are some easy to remember steps to prepare for ShakeOut:

✍️ sign up for ShakeOut https://getready.govt.nz/shakeout

📌 let us know in the pinned post that you have signed up (relying on your honesty) and be in to win to-go bags.

👉🏽 Tag a mate who hasn’t signed up.

On the day:

🫨 Do the drill (anytime) - practise either Drop, Cover, and Hold, or walk your nearest tsunami evacuation route.

16/10/2026

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

During emergencies, our minds can go blank. Severe earthquakes don't happen often, so it's important to know the correct steps to take when they do occur. That's why we ShakeOut (21 October 2026)!

Knowing the correct actions gives us a bit of control in an overwhelming situation.

Here are a few tips for earthquake preparedness.

🫨 Sign up for ShakeOut - do the drill on 21 October.
🫨 Drop, cover and hold wherever you are. Cover your head and neck.
🫨 You don't have to get on the floor. You can sit on a chair/walker lean forward, cover your head and neck.
🫨 Don't run from one room to another to get under a table - just drop where you are.
🫨 Don't run outside.
🫨 Near the coast, remember long, strong, get gone! Don't wait for official warnings.

There's still time to sign up for ShakeOut (and help Waikato climb the regional leaderboard) - sign up at www.shakeout.govt.nz

14/10/2026

Emergency preparedness isn't just about knowing where the flashlight is when the power goes out but also knowing how to steady your mind when emergency strikes.

In an emergency, neighbours can be your lifeline. Here's some of the ways neighbours can support each other:

👉 Sharing resources, such as the BBQ, stored water, or first aid supplies.
👉 Advice, or providing comfort (you might be surprised what a cuppa and a chat can do).
👉 Can't get home - can your neighbour get the children from school/check on or feed the pets?
👉 A neighbour may have a useful skill to share (nurse, builder, electrician).

Get more great preparedness tips to help you feel more in control from www.getready.govt.nz

02/10/2026

A shaky start to the weekend for many New Zealanders this morning. Looks like it was felt by a lot of people across the North Island. Hope everyone is okay.

GeoNet reported a shallow M5.3 earthquake with strong shaking 25 km east of New Plymouth. The quake occurred at 2.57am and was 11km deep, and they have received over 7,700 felt reports.

Remember, during an earthquake the right action is to Drop, Cover and Hold. If you are in bed, Stay, Cover and Hold.

For more information on preparing for earthquakes, and how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, check out: www.getready.govt.nz/emergency/earthquakes

Stay safe, everyone.

30/09/2026

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence have officially challenged our region to a Shake Out Shake Down. They are in fifth place, Waikato is currently in sixth place.

Can we knock our neighbours off their wee perch? If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time. There are 21 days till Shake Out.

Part of a knitting circle, sports or puzzle club? We don’t know where we will be in an earthquake, so it’s always good to drill for any circumstance. Sign them up and help Waikato climb the leaderboard.

Sign up: www.GetReady.govt.nz/shakeout

Hey, Civil Defence Waikato and Tairāwhiti Civil Defence it’s October 1st, so you know what that means…pinch and a punch for the first of the month! 🤏👊

But if the ground starts shaking, save the punch and remember to:

✅Drop
✅Cover
✅Hold

We're less than 3 weeks away from ShakeOut, our national earthquake drill and tsunami hīkoi (evacuation) happening on October 21 at 1:30pm. It’s a great opportunity to practice drop, cover, hold so you, your whānau, work colleagues, and friends know what to do to keep safe in the event of an earthquake. If you haven’t registered yet, now is your chance!

All the information you need to sign up is in the comment section below. P.S. we're currently sitting 5th on the regional sign-ups scoreboard. Lets get the Bay of Plenty to the top! 🏆

28/09/2026

☕ Happy International Coffee Day. (Okay, let's make it tea too).

Official at home disaster preparedness advice:
✅ Water
✅ Food
✅ Medications
✅ Pet supplies.

Unofficial preparedness advice:
✅ Enough coffee (or tea) to remain a reasonable human being.

In an emergency, you could be stuck at home for three days or more. Check you've got the essentials sorted before you need them.

Get more great preparedness advice: www.getready.govt.nz

28/09/2026

🎉 New ShakeOut record alert! 🎉

Last year we thought 49,000 ShakeOut sign-ups was worth celebrating. This year? You said, "Hold my emergency kit."

We've officially smashed that record with 52,000+ people within Waikato signed up for ShakeOut! 🙌

That puts us sixth on the regional leaderboard - and currently in front of Auckland. Whoop!

That's 52,000 people taking a simple step to be better prepared when the next earthquake or tsunami happens.

Haven't registered yet? There's still time to be part of New Zealand's biggest earthquake drill. Also, head to our pinned post to be in to win!

👉 getready.govt.nz/shakeout

27/09/2026

Update at 9.01am Monday, 28 September
The threat of snow affecting the road has passed and the Warning is now cancelled.
***

❄️ Road snowfall warning ‼️

MetService New Zealand has issued a snowfall warning for the Desert Road for 6 hours from 7pm today (Sunday, 27 September) to 1am tomorrow (Monday, 28 September).

During this time, a period of snow is expected on the road above 800 metres, when 1 to 2 cm may accumulate.

⚠️ If driving, please take extra care and keep up to date with the latest weather warnings: www.metservice.com or download the MetService app to get notifications direct to your phone.

❄️ Road closures: www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz
❄️ Make a plan www.getready.govt.nz

Taupō District Council
Civil Defence Taupō

24/09/2026

September is our volunteer recruitment month!

🫤 Myth: You need emergency response experience to volunteer.

🙂 Reality: Most of our volunteers start with none. We provide free training and support. You bring the enthusiasm and a willingness to help.

Learn more and apply before 30 September: www.volunteeringwaikato.org.nz/emergency-management

Volunteering Waikato