Highways are closed on both sides of the South Island due to flooding, slips and rising rivers

In Canterbury, State Highway One is closed between Ashburton and Timaru at the Rangitata River bridge due to the rising river - and the inland bridge at Arundel is also not passable meaning there's no detour.

A local state of emergency has been declared in Timaru due to the heavy rain.

The Arthur's Pass state highway 73 link between Canterbury and the West Coast is down to a single lane at Candy's Bend due to a slip.

Torrential rain overnight and today has brought down multiple slips across State Highway six, meaning the highway is closed from Hokitika through the Haast Pass to Makarora.

Part of a washed out bridge near Te Taho is being assessed.

Authorities in Queenstown and Wanaka are responding to high lake levels - by shutting off more wastewater services and providing more sandbags.