The Auckland Mayor has given his first media interview since declaring a State of Emergency last night, his third since taking office.

Brown says it's still raining, but he doesn't know why the weather is getting worse because he hasn't been asking it.

When asked if Auckland should be better prepared for heavy rain, he says it will be interesting to see just how prepared Wellington is when an earthquake strikes.

The Mayor says civil defence officials are on their way to Auckland, but right now they can't "find the airport", let alone fly into it.

Brown insists he declared a State of Emergency about 9.30pm, as soon as he'd received a request from officials.

But a civil defence update 20 minutes later didn't mention a state of emergency, a civil defence update 48 minutes later finally did.

Brown doesn't know if any mobile alerts were sent out, but says the media appear to have released information to people instead.

 

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said she found Brown’s comments “distasteful and inappropriate at this time”.

However, Whanau said her focus was on the community and what they needed to get through the devastation.

“Which is why I’ve already been in touch with Minister McAnulty to offer support from Wellington City when it’s required. We’re all thinking of our Auckland whānau.”

Wellington regional councillor Thomas Nash said on Twitter that disaster preparedness was not a competition between cities.

“Cities and regions need to work together as we deal with severe weather events. Thoughtful, dedicated, well-prepared local government leadership makes a huge difference in emergencies.”

-Additional reporting from Georgina Campbell