"It's pretty light-weight because it's hollow in the middle, it was very rusty at the bottom," she said.
"A neighbour of mine across the road said she thought she saw it on a lean the other day.
"The ground is still really wet from all the rain we had last week, so that could have been a contributor."
The Hawke's Bay region also experienced gale-force winds in last week's severe weather event, which may have played a part in weakening the structure.
A number of residents at Bupa Gladys Mary Care Home were having their lunch at the time, with one woman saying she "just saw it fall".
The lamp post was removed by council contractors two hours later.
Napier Mayor Bill Dalton was in Darwin, Australia at the time and said he had not heard about the incident and was unable to comment.