2025 October - Severe weather Canterbury, Clutha and Southland

On 22 and 24 October 2025 the Government classified this severe weather as a local emergency event.

We may be able to help if you are in one of these regions or districts and your business or personal income is affected.

• Canterbury
• Southland
• Clutha

Contacting us

Our emergency helpline is 0800 473 566.

For other ways to contact us, see our contact page.

Natural disasters, adverse and emergency events - contact us

See our website for more information on how we can help.

Natural disasters, adverse or emergency events

Penalties and interest

We can remit any late filing and payment penalties and some interest if you’re affected by this event. You will need to let us know as soon as you reasonably can that you are unable to pay tax by the due date.

You’ll need to:

• describe how the weather event has affected you
• ask us for these to be removed
• have paid the core tax as soon as you reasonably can.

For this event, we can remove interest up to 31 January 2026 if you’re in the Canterbury and Southland regions and Clutha district.

Help for you or your family

We may be able to help with your personal tax, KiwiSaver, or student loan payments. For child support or Working for Families payments, you’ll need to let us know if your situation has changed.

Help for you or your family in an adverse or emergency event

Help for your business

If you have a farm, a business or are self-employed, we can help you manage your business tax following an adverse or emergency event.

Help with your business tax in an adverse or emergency event

Help for farmers and growers

You may be able to get help through the income equalisation scheme if your income is affected by this event.

We have made ‘class of case’ decisions to cover farmers and growers in the affected regions. Details are as follows.

Income equalisation scheme – late deposits

You can make late deposits for the 2025 income year up to 31 May 2026.

Income equalisation scheme – early refunds

You can apply for the early refund of a deposit if you made your deposit before the Government declaration on 22 October 2025.

Normally, income equalisation deposits are not available for refund until 12 months after they have been made.

Your application for an early refund must be in writing. It may take approximately 5 days to process.

The refund will be income in the year you make the application, unless you apply it to the previous income year.

Income equalisation scheme

Customers outside of the affected region 

For customers affected by drought conditions in other regions or districts you can apply to us on a case-by-case basis for the same relief.