13 Feb 2023

Prime Minister stuck in Auckland as Cyclone Gabrielle arrives

From Morning Report, 7:13 am on 13 February 2023

Cabinet will be online on Monday as the Prime Minister is stuck in Auckland while flights are grounded.

Chris Hipkins says he's waiting for flights to resume out of the city before he can leave.

“The advice we've got is Air New Zealand aren't expecting to have their flights back up out of Auckland until at least the middle of the day tomorrow.

"So, we'll make some contingency plans for that this afternoon or this evening, just depending on how things unfold today.” 

Hipkins says the worst of Cyclone Gabrielle is yet to come for Aucklanders.

Auckland, Northland and Coromandel are all under red weather warnings.

While the rest of the country is under an orange wind warning,