An investigation is underway to find the cause of a false alarm which triggered tsunami sirens in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
The siren system along with additional sirens which were recently installed at Coastlands, Waiotahe and Ohiwa, were accidentally activated just before 8am today, with the cause still unknown.
Eastern Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management co-ordinator, Jim Tetlow said the false alarm was frustrating, particularly given the timing.
"We have asked Kordia, the contractors responsible for the siren network, to investigate if there was an issue with the pager network, and explain what has happened and how."
Mr Tetlow said the positive that can be taken from false alarm is that a number of people heard the sirens throughout the Eastern Bay, and tuned into, or phoned the local radio station to find out what was happening.