Auckland Council will close all non-essential services across the region on Monday 13 February and Tuesday 14 February as the region prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle.
The non-essential services affected include customer service centres, libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres.
In addition to those service closures, only critical regulatory services activities, such as building assessments, will take place.
Essential services, such as our contact centres and cemeteries, will remain open.
Auckland Council Chief Executive Jim Stabback says that the decision to close non-essential services has been made so that the organisation is in the best position possible.
“We are redirecting our staff to support the Civil Defence Centres (CDCs) or evacuation shelters that have been prepared ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Gabrielle. To keep staff safe and any travel to a minimum, staff have been redirected to the CDC or evacuation shelter nearest to them,” says Mr Stabback.
In addition to redirections to CDCs, some staff based in the Waitematā Local Board area will also be redirected to work in the Welfare Call Centre.
Kerbside collections cancelled Monday and Tuesday
Based on the most recent MetService update regarding Cyclone Gabrielle, and the strong wind and rain warnings expected to significantly impact our region, kerbside rubbish, recycling and food scrap collections have also been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday.
Auckland Council is asking people to hold on to their rubbish, recycling and food scraps until their next scheduled collection. Once collections resume, the normal cycle of collection will apply. This means that residents will have to wait until next week for their usual rubbish collection, and some residents another two weeks for their recycling collection.
Based on current weather reports, the council plans to resume kerbside services on Wednesday 15 February.
“The safety of residents, staff and contractors is of absolute importance through the course of this weather event and we thank Aucklanders for their patience and understanding under difficult circumstances,” says Mr Stabback.
We ask that residents bring their bins/bags back onto their property and secure them, along with any rubbish that could be caught by high winds and become a hazard or cause damage.
If your collection was cancelled and your rubbish is unsafe to store, you can take it to one of the 15 participating Auckland waste transfer stations free of charge when it is safe to do so, and services resume.
Transfer Station remains open
The Waitākere Transfer Station will continue to operate on both Monday 13 February and Tuesday 14 February unless severe winds make it too dangerous to stay open. Should this occur, the closure will be at relatively short notice.
- If you need help and support during the emergency, please head to the Auckland Emergency Management website.
- For a full and current updated list of Civil Defence Centres and shelters, please head to the Auckland Emergency Management website.
- For a list of disruptions to our services and facilities, please visit the Interruptions to Service and Facilities page on the Auckland Council website.
