The Auckland leg of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival has been postponed on Tuesday night due to bad weather and flooding across the city.
With severe disruptions caused by flooding and further bad weather expected to hit later on Tuesday, the Comedy Trust has decided to postpone its shows for one night only, with Wellington shows to carry on.
There were due to be 18 shows opening their runs in Auckland tonight, as well as shows continuing across the city's CBD.
In a statement posted on the festival's social media accounts on Tuesday afternoon, the postponement was described as a "difficult decision."
"Kia ora Comedy Fest whānau. Due to the state of emergency in Tāmaki Makaurau, we've made the difficult decision to not go ahead with any of tonight's (Tuesday 9 May) Comedy Fest performances here in Auckland at Basement Theatre, Q Theatre, Due Drop Events Centre and The Classic," the statment reads.
"If you have a ticket to a performance in Auckland tonight, you will be contacted by the ticketing provider to move to an alternative performance or to process a refund.
"Stay safe and take care of one another. We look forward to being back up and running tomorrow!"
Shows scheduled for Wellington will go ahead as planned.
James Nokise, whose show "Right About Now" was due to play in Auckland tonight, said none of the affected comedians were angry about the news.
"Glad we can finally announce that @NZComedyFest shows are cancelled tonight," he wrote on Twitter.
"Haven't spoken to a single comedian angry about this. Some days there's bigger things. Stay safe #Auckland people. When you need a laugh later in the week, we'll be happy to hook you up."
Just after 1pm today, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown declared a local state of emergency across the city as the region was pounded with thunderstorms.
Brown delegated his responsibilities and powers to Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson as he is currently in Australia on business.
For the latest on the unfolding situation in Auckland, keep up with our live updates here.
