Lauren Crimp

Owners of flood-wrecked Hawke's Bay properties are inching closer to answers about the fate of their homes.

People living in Hastings senior council flats have accepted an imminent rent increase is necessary - but wish it had been managed differently to avoid one big hit to the pocket.

Wanted: three to four acres of flat land in the Napier-Hastings area.

A Māori birthing unit recommended for Hawke's Bay is languishing in a queue of work Te Whatu Ora has had to pick up after DHBs were folded into the entity.

A man accused of kidnapping two children and threatening to harm one of them has pleaded not guilty.

The government and five Hawke's Bay councils have signed a $556 million cost-sharing cyclone recovery package that includes buying out flood-wrecked homes.

The prisoner's alleged vandalism has caused extensive water damage to Napier's courthouse.

An owner of a flood-damaged Auckland home is appalled at the council's communication about whether it is safe to live in.

Hawke's Bay growers have been treated to a small bit of respite from the tough task of rebuilding their livelihoods after Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed orchards throughout the region.

Some Hawke's Bay residents forced from their whenua after it was destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle may soon have a temporary place to call home.

Plans are underway to house some of the thousands of extra workers who will be brought in to rebuild crumbled roads and bridges in Hawke's Bay and Tai Rāwhiti over the next few years.

Owners of some cyclone-wrecked Hawke's Bay homes say they are depressed, desperate, and still in the dark about whether they will ever return home.

The owner of a fence crashed into by a Hawke's Bay rugby player says the man was extremely apologetic when he knocked on his door on Monday morning.

Rural communities in Hawke's Bay will soon be better prepared for disasters thanks to new facilities designed to help them cope when they become isolated.

Car tyres and rims have been falling victim to a giant pothole that has opened up on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō.

Yellow stickers attached to the front of unoccupied cyclone-damaged homes in Te Tai Rāwhiti have been mysteriously disappearing.

A former chef who has cooked about 170,000 meals for cyclone-affected families and volunteers in Hawke's Bay will soon hang up her apron - for now. Audio

The Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Fund will not be open for applications until early next year, but affected communities say that money is needed now.

Hastings and Napier councils have approved changes to their long-term plans to allow buyouts of category 3 homes.

Nearly 15,000 extra construction workers may be needed to repair infrastructure damage from this year's wild weather, experts say.

A Hawke's Bay-based singer-songwriter has penned a tune to uplift those in the throes of cyclone recovery and raise money for the cause.

The first temporary village for those forced out of their homes after Cyclone Gabrielle is soon to be built in Hastings.

Heroes who came to the rescue during Cyclone Gabrielle have been honoured for their actions.

Some Hawke's Bay residents are fighting to stay in their homes that were untouched by floodwaters during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Some Hawke's Bay residents, whose homes were inundated by rivers of silt during Cyclone Gabrielle, fear the future of their properties depend on the size of cash-strapped councils' bank accounts.