A rural contractor has seen foreign workers give up on making it to New Zealand amid fears maize silage needing to be harvested soon will deteriorate with dire consequences for farmers.

Civil Defence emergency operation centres have opened in Westport and Hokitika as the region prepares for a deluge of heavy rain that could bring slips and flooding.

Watch: A total of 123 million rapid antigen tests have been ordered through to June, and the government says it has enough on order to deal with a widespread outbreak.

A group monitoring conspiracy theories on social media is calling on Facebook to do more to stamp out false and misleading claims about the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccine.

Pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis says her re-activated emergency MIQ application has been approved, and she will return to New Zealand in March.

Three people have been killed in crashes in the Waikato district today, two at Eureka and one in Waitoa.

Murupara's GP of 30 years standing, Dr Bernard Conlon, is to be suspended from practising medicine as of Friday.

Police are concerned about a man missing from Masterton since Monday.

Today's new community cases are in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty, Tairāwhiti, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson Marlborough, and Canterbury.

The OECD is warning New Zealand that relying on tree planting and carbon credits to slash emissions may not hold water internationally much longer.

Napier's council is saying little on whether it will mandate vaccine passes at most of its public facilities, despite its twin city Hastings doing it with a growing number of cases in the region.

An Auckland gym, a Whangārei supermarket, a flight to Timaru and an Auckland bar and bistro have been added as close contact Covid-19 locations of interest.

Uncharacteristic errors by an experienced forestry worker may have contributed to his death, a coroner says.

A body has been recovered from inside a submerged ute in Lake Dunstan, near Cromwell.

A scrub fire between the motorway and railway tracks on State Highway 59 in Porirua is now under control.

One of New Zealand's key performances at the World Trade Expo has been unable to go ahead after members of Parris Goebel's Royal Family Dance Crew tested positive for Covid-19.

A non-sworn police employee forcibly pinned a female colleague to a table and simulated a sex act on her, the independent police watchdog has found.

The Wellington restaurant will also complete anti-discrimination training with new and existing employees, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) says.