Six people have been rescued after becoming trapped in floodwaters in Marlborough. 

Emergency services were notified about 8.35pm last night of vehicles stuck in floodwaters on SH6 near Canvastown. 

Police Search and Rescue immediately deployed, along with Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the New Zealand Defence Force, and Surf Life Saving New Zealand, who together retrieved six people from vehicles. 

State Highway 6 between Pelorus and Havelock was closed, and remains closed this morning, while floodwater levels remain high. 

Motorists are asked to avoid the area and delay travel if possible. 

SH60 (Tākaka Hill) was also closed last night because of flooding, but had reopened this morning, according to the NZ Transport Agency website. 

More heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are possible today as an unsettled weather system sweeps across New Zealand. 

MetService meteorologist Alanah Burrows told the Herald the North Island was in for a particularly stormy Saturday. 

“We’ve got that heavy rain over the North Island with possible squally thunderstorms for the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty early.” 

Those eastern areas of the upper part of the country are set to clear later in the day as conditions deteriorate further north. 

“Rain is then returning to the northern North Island in the afternoon and evening with possible thunderstorms, which could be heavy at times with small hail.” 

It was a rainy start for the South Island, where the heaviest falls were forecast for the West Coast with a risk of thunderstorms this morning. 

Burrows said conditions should begin easing for many places throughout the afternoon, with some regions expected to get sunny spells later in the day, though swells up to 7m can be expected in southern waters. 

Tomorrow, the messy conditions are expected to continue, with a moderate chance of a strong wind warning being issued for Southland, Clutha, Dunedin and Stewart Island through the morning and afternoon. 

“It’s going to be an unsettled and cold showery southwesterly flow across the country,” Burrows said. 

The system will bring a noticeable drop in temperatures. 

“We’ve had some warm temperatures quite recently but as we’re turning to that southwesterly flow, it’s going to start to feel cooler again.”