Three people have died and at least one person is missing as a result of torrential rain that has caused major flooding and multiple evacuations in New Zealand, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Saturday.
"The loss of life underscores the scale of this weather event and how quickly it turned tragic," Hipkins told a news conference after meeting with emergency services and surveying the damage in Auckland.
"It's clear that a big cleanup job needs to be done," Hipkins said.
A number of events in the city, including an Elton John concert, have been cancelled. The singer said he was "absolutely gutted" that Friday's concert could not go ahead.
"I was in place and determined to play as the weather reports we received beforehand were not entirely conclusive," he wrote in an Instagram post.
