By RNZ
The weather system is sitting to the south-west of the South Island and heavy rain warnings are in force in some areas.
Heavy rain warnings are in force for Fiordland and the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers, with the worst of the weather expected to hit mid-afternoon.
The Emergency Management controller Bruce Halligan said they would be monitoring the weather system throughout the afternoon and contingency plans were in place for in areas where stop banks were weakened in last week's major flooding.