Northland

New Zealand needs to prepare for the reality that weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary floods will continue to happen 'more and more', the finance minister says. Audio

Councils in some of the regions hit hardest by Cyclone Gabrielle are relieved the government is promising to pay for the repair job on local roads, so the cost will not fall back on ratepayers.

An elderly passenger has been winched from a boat far out at sea in a mission described by rescuers as "extremely challenging".

A Northland school facing scrutiny after a student died on a trip is also in the spotlight after revelations of another safety incident.

A father who stopped his son going on a fatal school caving expedition because of safety concerns says the trip should never have gone ahead - and the school's board speaks. Audio

A month long rāhui has been placed over Abbey Caves, where a Whangārei boy's High School student died in a caving incident on Tuesday.

The whānau of the teenager who died in the Abbey Caves have posted on social media of the deep sadness of their loss. Audio

An inquiry into a fatal school caving trip in Whangārei will focus on why it went ahead despite heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings, a former WorkSafe investigator says.

The school's principal says she cannot provide any answers regarding the incident, while a spokesperson for the family has thanked people for their love and support.

Searchers have recovered a body at Abbey Caves in Northland where a student went missing after a school trip during bad weather on Tuesday.

Whangārei Boys' High School had been aware the caving network where a student's body has been found was prone to flooding and had done a detailed risk assessment plan.

Rain that caused flooding in Auckland on Tuesday has moved towards the Bay of Plenty, with up to 100 millimetres of rain expected to fall in the region.

Kaipara District Council's push to build a controversial waste to energy plant in or near Auckland includes the 41 per cent Chinese-owned company aiming to build a $350 million equivalent in…

The search for a teen missing in a Northland cave has been suspended until Wednesday morning.

Evacuations are being carried out in Tasman after a stream breached its banks, with orange heavy rain warnings in place there, in Nelson, Marlborough, Northland, Taranaki and Westland. Audio

Streams and rivers are rising and flooding has been reported in North Taranaki, Civil Defence says. Audio

A couple involved in dealing drugs and a failed attempt at cooking methamphetamine which resulted in an explosion causing $100,000 in financial losses have been sentenced.

Police have seized drugs and firearms at a Northland property this week, which they say was linked to Black Power and alleged drug dealing.

Whangārei's old town hall "eyesore" is to live on in a now $7.43 million renovation due to start by June - in spite of five of the city's leaders wanting...