Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty tweeted that he and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would visit Auckland on Saturday “to assess the damage from this event”.
The nation’s weather forecaster said while heavy rain had eased, another period of downpours was possible on Sunday.
Two men were found dead amid the flooding, New Zealand Police said. A search was underway for another man believed swept away.
Another person was unaccounted for after a landslide hit a house in Remuera, an inner suburb of Auckland, police said.
More than 2000 calls for assistance have been made around the city, the New Zealand Herald reported on Saturday.
Auckland Airport, which closed both domestic and international operations on Friday, remained shuttered, with a reopening scheduled Saturday afternoon.
Air New Zealand said it was “working through what its schedule will look like from midday today when Auckland Airport is scheduled to reopen”. The airline had 12 international services due into Auckland diverted overnight.
On Friday, social media showed firefighters, police and defence force staff rescuing stranded people from flooded homes using ropes and rescue boats.
The flooding also forced the cancellation of British musician Elton John’s concert in the city. About 40,000 people had been expected to attend.
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