DEVELOPING: Tornado kills in Auckland

STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED:

Three people have died after a tornado struck north-west of Auckland this afternoon.

Seven people have also been taken to North Shore and Auckland hospitals, although none are thought to be seriously injured.

Civil Defence said the casualties occurred at the construction site for a new school at Hobsonville Point.

The agency also said about 150 homes "have been displaced at Whenuapai" and many have been deemed uninhabitable or are without power.

About 250 residents have been taken to Whenuapai Air Force Base and Auckland Council welfare staff have gone there to assist.

North Shore Hospital was initially cleared to deal with injuries but officials later said they were not expecting large numbers of casualties.

Electricity is off in numerous parts of Auckland including Henderson, Greenhithe, Hobsonville, Riverhead, Meadowbank and St Johns.

Auckland Council building inspectors are attending the worst affected areas.

The NZ Transport Agency says it has re-opened State Highway 18 (the Hobsonville Motorway) after it was closed when a series of tornados swept through north-west Auckland this afternoon.

The motorway was re-opened just after 4pm It was closed in both directions just after 1.30pm.

Storms brought down light poles, disabled motorway cameras and left sections of the motorway littered with debris.

SH18 has reopened after being closed for several hours while contractors inspected the motorway for damage and cleared debris.

But acting State Highways manager for Auckland and Northland, Steve Mutton, said the Squadron Drive on and off ramps remain closed until further notice.

Mutton says the closure, together with the storms, has caused widespread congestion across the Auckland motorway network.