Nine To Noon for Friday 5 March 2021

 

09:05 Three significant earthquakes pose tsunami threat

We have the latest earthquake update from Far North Mayor John Carter, RNZ reporter Nita Blake Persen, Whakatane mayor Judy Turner, Murphy's camp ground owner Shane Salter, Opotiki Holiday Park manager Raje Sharma, Northland Civil Defence group controller Graeme MacDonald, Te Araroa Civil Defence Controller Hal Hovell,  National Emergency Management Agency director Roger Ball, Ohope resident Jody Brettkelly, Whangarei mayor Sheryl Mai and  Sandy Bay resident Griff Williams.

Rolling coverage continues through the morning. 

10:05 Emergency Management Minister provides update, Coastguard warning to boaties

Minister for Emergency Management, and East Coast MP Kiri Allan provides an update on advice for those living in affected areas. Coastguard Operations Manager Rob McCaw joins Nine to Noon with advice to mariners - those at sea need to move to a depth of 100 metres or more, those close to shore need to dock and boaties need to get to higher ground.

10:15 Details of evacuation in affected coastal towns 

Opotiki District Councillor Louis Rapihana and Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer join Nine to Noon to detail the evacuation process in the town, and what activity can now be seen off the coast. Greg Shelton, Civil Defence coordinator for Tolaga Bay, describes how the area has been handling its new evacuation order. 

10:30 RNZ reporters update evacuation in affected areas

Radio New Zealand reporter Nita Blake-Persen joins the programme from Onerahi near Whangarei airport, while Country Life reporter Carol Stiles is on Great Barrier Island.

10:45 Whakatane schools evacuate, National Crisis Management Centre activated

Mark Ashcroft is principal of Parua Bay School in Whangarei, which is just a couple of hundred metres from the beach. Most of his students have been collected by parents, and the rest have moved to higher ground. Whakatane High School's 1100 students have also moved to higher ground. The school's principal Martyn Knapton describes how the school body is coping. RNZ's Jane Patterson joins the programme to detail the activation of the National Crisis Management Centre, known as the Beehive bunker.

10:58 National and Northland-based MP Shane Reti

Leading up the 11am news National's deputy leader Shane Reti joined the programme from high ground in Whangarei where he could see the sea going out.

11:10 Northland boaties heed maritime advice

Fisherman Ralph Stanbrook joined Nine to Noon from a boat off shore from Tutukaka in Northland, while Kate Malcom, owner of Dive! Tutukaka and joined the programme from a headland above the town.

11:20 RNZ reporters deliver update on East Coast and across the Pacific

Northland's Mangonui Waterfront Apartments Motel owner Daniel Thompson joins the programme, reporting the sea has changed.  RNZ's Tom Kitchen is in Whangara, on the East Coast. He joined Nine to Noon with another update from Civil Defence about what's been happening through the region. RNZ Pacific's News Director Koro Vaka'uta described what's happening across the Pacific Islands in terms of tsunami warnings. In Tolaga Bay, Hinemaurea marae Chairman Zak Horomia told the programme what they've been doing to help locals who have had to evacuate.

11:35 Live cross to Beehive for update

Nine to Noon crosses back to RNZ reporter Tom Kitchin on the East Coast, talks to seismologist John Townend  at Victoria University to a media conference and then crosses to a media conference with National Emergency Management Agency Minister Kiri Allan, the National Controller Roger Ball and GNS seismologist Bill Fry.