Civil Defence
Dozens of firefighters still at site of Napier forest fire
A Napier forestry fire, which burned out of control for 24 hours, is now under control, but dozens of firefighters remain on site.
The fire on Tangoio Settlement Road has destroyed about 350 hectares… Audio
NZ still well covered if fire breaks out here
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) is confident there are enough fire fighting resources in New Zealand should a large wildfire take hold right now.
So far this fire season, 179 New Zealand… Audio
Window of reprieve for Aus fires
The death toll from the Australian fires is now at 25 after police yesterday confirmed a 71-year-old New South Wales man, who was reported missing on New Years Eve, had been found dead.
And while… Audio
Forestry fire burns out of control in Hawke's Bay
Residents in northern Hawke's Bay are ready to evacuate their homes as a nearby forestry fire burns out of control. New Zealand fire crews have battled three separate blazes across the country in the… Audio
Cooler weather provides brief reprieve from Aus bushfires
Australian authorities say cooler temperatures and light rain will barely give firefighters the chance to 'take a breath'.
Temperatures continued to break records at the weekend, reaching a searing… Audio
Batemans Bay resident evacuating ahead of extreme fire risk
A Batemans Bay resident on the New South Wales coast says the towns around him are burning, and with hot, windy weather predicted for the weekend, he's moving out today.
Mark Bradley lives in an area… Audio
Tens of thousands of people fleeing bushfires in Australia
To Australia, where authorities are racing against the clock to evacuate tens of thousands of holidaymakers before scorching, dry and windy weather returns tomorrow -- worsening the uncontrollable… Audio
Australia wakes up to another day of fires
The fires in Australia continue, and chilling images and video show the scale of the destruction in all of the states and territories. At least eight people have died since Monday, and seven are… Audio
Oppressive smoke, blocked roads - RNZ reporter on Aus fires
RNZ reporter Tess Brunton is visiting her family home in Tathra, on the south-east coast of New South Wales.
She told Leigh-Marama McLachlan that on New Year's Eve, the fires got so close, she and… Audio
Australia's bushfire crisis takes its toll
Eight people have died in Australia this week due to the intense bushfires burning throughout the south-eastern part of the country.
Seven of those in New South Wales and authorities are warning… Audio
Search ongoing for overboard passenger near Mahia
The search is ongoing for a passenger who fell off the cruise ship the Norwegian Jewel near Mahia in Hawke's Bay. Audio
Cyclone Sarai batters Fiji islands overnight, two confirmed dead
Two people have died in Fiji as Tropical Cyclone Sarai continues to bring storm force winds and rain to much of the country. Audio
Search for two Whakaari victims called off
The official search for the two missing victims of the Whakaari / White Island disaster has been called off. Extensive shoreline and aerial sweeps have found no sign of 40-year-old tour guide Hayden… Audio
Australia fires: Momentary reprieve from heat over Christmas
Scorching heat baking Australia eased yesterday granting a brief respite from the bushfires raging across New South Wales and South Australia.
It comes after a horror few days for the country where… Audio
Whakaari White Island survivors may soon return home
The death toll from the Whakaari White Island eruption now stands at 17, with the overnight death of another victim in Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland. But there is some good news as well, with… Audio
Aussie firefighter slams government stance on climate change
Aussie firefighter slams government stance on climate change A top Aussie firefighter says the government is living in a parallel universe with its attitude to climate change - and there's a growing… Audio
Whakaari eruption: Police divers frustrated body just out of reach
Police divers have expressed their frustration at being within metres of the body believed to have been missing White Island tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman, before dangerous swells thwarted their… Audio
Pike mine re-entry: Team step through 170m seal into drift
Shortly after 11:30am Tuesday the Pike River Recovery team stepped through a door chiselled into the concrete wall sealing the mine 170 metres into the drift.
It is uncharted territory - no one has… Video, Audio
Whakaari: Officials too risk adverse?
Criticism of the response to the tragedy has begun. Stuff published an opinion piece today by a PR director Mark Blackham. It's a pretty harsh take on the police's response to the disaster. Audio
Australia bracing for heatwave amid bushfires
Temperatures in Australia are expected to soar this week as fires continue to plague the country.
Forty degrees is expected in South Australia over the next few days, as well as for large parts of… Audio
