Police will be door knocking in the Sturdee Street area to ensure residents are aware of the changing conditions and to assist in possible evacuations.

It's closed from Cheviot to Kaikōura while the inland route is also shut, making travel difficult for the long weekend.

This weekend's Whakatipu Legend winter swim is part of 19-year-old Jemimah McIlroy's training for crossing Cook Strait.

MetService says up to 130ml of rain could fall over the next 20 hours in the northern Hawke's Bay ranges - which is under an orange rain warning.

It's rinse and repeat in South Wairarapa with back-to-back storms dumping huge amounts of rain, flooding rivers, and closing roads.

Those affected by floodwaters have been warned of likely contamination.

About four metres of soil has come down the hill and onto the forecourt, FENZ says.

A doctor issued a plea on social media calling for anyone familiar with the hospital to help as a registrar on Saturday and Sunday.

It follows an investigation into abnormal test results, with about 650 drivers needing to re-sit tests.

"Kaingaroa and Murupara have been in economic decline... we think this is the opportunity that can change that," says Ngāti Manawa.

With benefit of hindsight, she admitted she wished she had looked further into the mother's history and recommended a hospital birth.

A farmer between storm-hit Cheviot and Kaikōura said the Conway River reached its highest level in the family's living memory.

Two drivers will appear in Manukau District Court next week after separate incidents on Wednesday night.

A rapid clinical review of the man's death will lead to new national guidelines and improved signage in waiting rooms, Health NZ says.

Eighty-year-old Natalie was last seen leaving her home on foot last Monday morning.

Auckland Transport and KiwiRail remain tight-lipped on when the link will be open to commuters.

The cases came to light after concerns about a senior police officer's handling of a historical sexual abuse file.

The man has spent 21 years in secure care, but his family argues his detention is unlawful.

A Christchurch tenancy terminated after a man tried to start a physical flight with a neighbour in front of the man's grandchildren was one of the cases dealt with by the tribunal.

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Emergency services were called to the scene on Hona Road just after 7am.

One frontline doctor says it is the sickest population he has ever worked with.

The Wellington man was driving through Eastern Hutt Road at Stokes Valley in the dark as severe weather began.

The Eye Surgery in Hastings has a roof filled with solar panels, and produces its own supply of hypochlorous acid as a gentle but effective disinfectant.

The latest deluge comes only a week and a half after torrential rain knocked out a bridge, submerged farmland and closed roads.

Meanwhile, officials remain in a "response" phase as Kaikōura is hardest hit by the storm moving up the country.

Another man was also charged in relation to the incident.

Briar Parfitt died on Saturday afternoon in a car next to her teenage daughter, while the pair were heading to a different hospital.

"Some capabilities required to run Heidi at full capacity are not yet available," says the medical AI scribe tool company.

Health NZ says district inspectors had visited the facility more than the legal requirement of twice a year.

They came to light after concerns over a senior officer's handling of a historical sexual abuse case that had sat untouched for several years.

There should be a good chance for everybody to see Matariki or Puanga over the weekend, says MetService.

Attendees were accused of "pillaging" the rockpools among other threatening comments.

Some tradies are thinking twice about accepting a job on streets with cycleways, no parking or bad access due to the inconvenience.

They say everyone sufferers every time a storm hits and the bridges close - which has now happened three times this year.

It's not over yet - with more miserable weather to come over the next two days.

All bridges into Martinborough closed early on Wednesday due to rising river levels in South Wairarapa, though most reopened later in the day.

One who has resettled says he understands if Kiwis are annoyed by more Americans moving here.

One person has been taken to hospital with moderate injuries after a truck rolled in Awakino.

The 23-year-old man appeared in the High Court this morning.

The injured man was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition.

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The cases have been re-opened after concerns were raised about the management of of a historical sexual abuse case that had sat untouched for a couple of years.

Kaikōura District Council has declared a state of emergency, with people asked to evacuate to higher ground.

A witness still believes the suspect he saw was Māori, while the man who served 17 years in prison for the murder is Pākehā.

"We've got to be able to control them somehow," says Wairoa Mayor Craig Little.

An inflatable raft and cables were needed to rescue a driver trapped in his car in rising flood waters last night.

Rain was peaking at 70mm in South Wairarapa and Wellington, with more to come.

Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the blaze "due to fire damage and instability of the remaining structure".

Locals are "delighted' that the road will return to an 80 km/h zone.

The senior police officer facing an employment investigation over the handling of more than 50 cases is Detective Inspector Kevan Verry, RNZ understands.

A "significant number" of GPs are planning to apply for approval to increase their fees, a group representing general practices says.