About 300-400 lightning strikes hit the region, MetService meteorologist Devlin Linden says.

The route is shut near Mount View Road in southern Hamilton.

The manhunt for Mitchell Cole and now a second man continues, after Cole's father and stepmother were killed in a double homicide.

The early forecast is taking shape, but MetService says conditions may change.

Police said identifying the remains was "expected to take some time".

The highway has since been reopened.

A former Gloriavale member says leavers should be involved in helping families adjust to alternative schooling options.

The Education Ministry has advised the West Coast Christian community that the private school's registration will be cancelled from 23 January.

The men have been charged with theft and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.

Five people have been injured, and drivers are being told to avoid the area and expect delays.

Thrill-seekers causing significant damage to dunes on the Far North beach have forced the installation of temporary fences and blockage of access points.

Meanwhile, Basking and Plunket's sharks are one status away from extinction and "urgent" research is needed to understand why, DOC says.

The two-vehicle crash happened between Greenway and Mountain roads in Kaiwaka, police say.

"You can come here and see nearly every type of forestry system that can be applied," Blair Jamieson says of Tāmata Hauhā's demonstration farm near Palmerston North.

The change lifts a ban on inserting a switch, circuit or fuse into mains power earthing systems in houses and businesses.

Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said his members were rightly aggrieved that their employer spent $538m less than budgeted on personnel in the last financial year.

The Roy family all pitch in getting berries from orchard to Christmas plate over the festive season. Country Life goes behind the scenes of the Christmas berry rush.