Historical emergencies

A National Advisory: Earthquake Being Assessed message was issued on 25 March 2025 at 2:58pm following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the west coast of the South Island. The earthquake generated strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore. A National Advisory: No Tsunami Activity Expected for New Zealand was issued at 8:05 pm after the threat had passed.

A National Advisory: Earthquake Being Assessed message was issued on 17 December 2024 following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Vanuatu. Following assessment a National Advisory: No Tsunami Activity Expected for New Zealand was issued.

A National Advisory: Earthquake Being Assessed message was issued at 9:32pm on 8 September 2023 following a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands region. Following assessment a National Advisory: No Tsunami Threat to New Zealand was issued at 9:44pm.

A National Advisory: Large Pacific Earthquake Being Assessed message was issued at 2:06pm on 20 May 2023 following a magnitude 7.1 (initially reported as m7.4) Loyalty Islands earthquake at 1:51pm on the same day. Following the assessment a National Advsory: No Tsunami Threat message was issued at 2:41pm on 20 May 2023.

A National Advisory: Large Pacific Earthquake Being Assessed message was issued at 3:17pm on 19 May 2023 following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake southeast of the Loyalty Islands. Following assessment a National Advisory: Tsunami activity – expect strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore message was issued at 4:09pm on 19 May 2023. GNS Science advised NEMA that tsunami wave activity was observed at New Zealand coastlines over the course of this evening. The National Advisory was cancelled at 9:40pm on 19 May 2023 after tsunami wave activity had significantly abated.

A National Advisory: Earthquake Being Assessed message wasissued at 1:04pm on 24 April 2023 folliwing a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Kermadec Islands. Following assessment a National Advisory: No tsunami threat to New Zealand message was issued at 1:55pm on 24 April 2023.

Cyclone Gabrielle caused severe impacts in may parts of New Zealand from 12 February 2023. Local states of emergency were already in place for Auckland and Waikato. Further local states of emergency were declared for Northland, Bay of Plenty, Opotiki District, Whakatane District, Waikato District, Hauraki District, Tairawhiti, and Tararua District. At 8:43am on 14 February 2023 a State of National Emergency declared owing to Cyclone Gabrielle for the Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay Regions. A further declaration was made at 1:17pm on 14 February to include the Tararua District. The state of national emergency was extended on Tuesday the 21st of February, Tuesday the 28th of February, and Tuesday the 7th of March, with each extension lasting an additional seven days. As of the 28th of February, the State of National Emergency concluded for the Bay of Plenty region. On the 3rd of March, the State of National Emergency was concluded in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and the Tararua District. The State of National Emergency, which encompassed Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay, concluded on the 14th of March and was replaced with a National Transition Period.

A National Advisory: Large Pacific Earthquake Being Assessed was issued at 12:09am on 12 November 2022 following a magnitude 7.3 (initially reported as 7.5) earthquake at  in the Tonga region. Following assessment a National Advisory: No Tsunami Threat to New Zealand was issued at 12:49am.

A heavy rain event caused impacts across the top of south island. States of local emergency were declared for the West Coast region on 16 August 2022, Nelson-Tasman region on 17 August 2022 and Marlborough region on 19 August 2022. The Nelson-Tasman and Marlborough regions were particularly affected by significant flooding and slips requiring evacuations and cutting off road access to some communities.

A local State of Emergency for the Pleasant Point- Temuka Ward was declared on 20 July 2022. due to a heavy rain flood event.  The severe weather also impacted many other parts of the country causing flooding, slips and road closures. The local state of emergency expired on 27 July 2022 and was replaced with a notice of a local transition period.