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Civil Defence is investigating after a “glitch” led to some people receiving multiple tsunami advisory emergency alerts in the early hours of this morning, National Emergency Management Agency [Nema] director John Price says. 

Two alerts were officially sent to those in coastal areas across the country at 4.12pm yesterday and at 6.30am this morning after a tsunami advisory was issued for coastal New Zealand following yesterday’s 8.8 magnitude earthquake in eastern Russia. 

But multiple people told the Herald or complained on social media of being woken by alerts between 1.50am and 3am. 

“I have autism and was woken by an alert on my phone at 1.54 who can I contact about this I’m petrified to go back to sleep”, wrote one person in an email to the Herald at 1.59am. 

Another person received the same 4.12pm alert three times - the second at 5.15pm and the third at 3.40am. 

“Unsure if this is a fault with the system and impacting other people as well or somehow my phone. But it’s not appreciated.” 

This image shows the epicentre of an 8.8 earthquake that hit off Russia's far east yesterday, sparking tsunami warnings across multiple countries. Photo / US Geological Survey 

The early morning alerts were a glitch, Price told Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW this morning. 

“We’re actively investigating that. That’s not what was supposed to be happening, but we are actively working to work out why that has occurred.” 

The agency would work with Telco and software providers to see what happened. 

• Tsunami threat extended for NZ, people urged to stay away from coastlines

“We want to get that right for New Zealanders. We don’t want to disturb New Zealanders.” 

He was unsure how many people received the messages, but a few Nema workers were among them. 

“We know when we did our annual test that about 5 million people received ... those texts ... and that’s because about 5 million phones are actively on at the time.” 

An alert was sent at 6.30am today because people would be going to school and work. 

“The last thing we want is people heading down to the coast and putting themselves at risk. So, this is simply about us ensuring New Zealanders are safe.” 

To people who said a 40cm wave is nothing to be worried about, Price told Bridge the wave was an indicator of what could come. 

“It could be a lot worse. You know, I hope it’s only going to be that high, but you’ve also heard internationally that there have been other sizeable waves that have occurred in other parts of the world. 

“So, the last thing we want to be is be complacent. We know complacency puts people at risk and may kill people.”