Forty-five sirens between Brooklands and Taylors Mistake will sound for up to three minutes from 11am.
"If you are near the coast on Sunday morning and hear the sirens going off, you don’t need to evacuate or be alarmed," said Christchurch City Council civil defence and emergency management manager Brenden Winder.
"This is just a test to make sure the system is working."
The warning sirens along Christchurch’s coastline are tested each year at the beginning and end of daylight saving.
Winder said: "For this test you should hear a tone, followed by: ‘This is a test of the tsunami warning sirens. Do not be alarmed. This is only a test.’
"The tsunami warning network is designed to trigger an advanced warning of a distance-source tsunami that could take more than three hours to reach our coastline.
"If there were an event of a local or regional source closer to New Zealand, residents may need to evacuate quickly.
"While this weekend’s siren testing is routine, it’s also an ideal time to make sure you and your family have an evacuation plan and have all your essential supplies ready."
If there was an imminent tsunami, Winder said Civil Defence and police would alert residents using the sirens, radio, television, social media and community groups.
- Residents can check if they live in a tsunami evacuation zone and find evacuation tips here.
