About 1000 people are still unable to return to their homes in Westport after heavy rain and rising river levels caused widespread flooding in the northern West Coast.

More than 100 former employees will be paid in full for unpaid meetings they were required to attend.

State Highway One between Blenheim and Picton is also expected to reopen at midday, and motorists will be reunited with their stranded vehicles.

Residents of a flooded West Coast town are returning to homes inundated with water, and some fear they may never be liveable again.

One farmer told Stuff he was "devastated" and unable to talk about his loss of cattle yet.

While floodwaters have begun to recede in some parts of the South Island, authorities say it's too early to determine how long some roads will remain closed.

Corbin Belt​ is a bouncing ball of energy running around his Gore home on a Thursday evening.The same time last week, however, the eight-year-old was facing hundreds of debilitating seizures a day and could not walk.

The new cases include three more on the Viking Bay. That leaves just one aboard the Spanish ship in Wellington who is uninfected.

About 1000 people face another night away from their homes after heavy rain caused widespread flooding in Westport. Here's what those in affected areas need to know.

Nine wastewater tanker trucks were on site after the incident caused a wastewater manhole to overflow.

A baby dies and her mum is told it was because of a brain injury. She wasn’t told it was entirely preventable. Kirsty Johnston reports.

Sherry, a giant of New Zealand media who read the country’s first news bulletins, died on Sunday after a short illness.

Porter Lightfoot was walking home when he experienced an epileptic seizure. James McLaren stopped to help him, carrying him to his flat and calling 111.

Residents of a rural valley cut off from the rest of Marlborough by rising flood waters have helicopters on standby in case they need to flee their homes.

Some evacuees have been able to return home as a swollen Wairau River recedes from a severe flood in Marlborough.

Passengers say they were left with nowhere to go after a series of events forced a late-night plane going to Wellington to turn around.

Officers and a police chopper are searching Swanson after reports a gun was fired.

“It started getting dark, and we could see the water’s edge getting higher and higher ... It was pretty horrific.”

Thirteen Covid-19 infected mariners have been taken to a Christchurch MIQ after docking at Lyttelton.

Police’s anti-corruption unit has looked into more than 230 incidents involving officers, and prosecuted one for supplying a class B controlled drug.