Emergency Services
Fire and Emergency calls on the double vaccinated to fill volunteer firefighter void
Fire and Emergency is urging double-vaccinated people to train up as new volunteer firefighters to help fill a void created by the unvaccinated.
Summer fire risk could be elevated by lower crew levels
More than 1500 firefighters remain unvaccinated as a government deadline looms on Monday.
Closure is impossible for Ōhau business owner
Fire investigators say a short circuit on a powerpole caused the Lake Ōhau scrub fire. Insurance costs for the October 2020 fire are sitting at more than $35 million.
It claimed more than 5,000… Audio
Canterbury high country fire under control
A blaze in the Canterbury high country has been brought under control with the help of two helicopters and five fire crews.
Raw sewage leak inside 'oldest and most rundown hospital'
The failing piping is expected to take two years and $2.8m to fix, because it is surrounded by asbestos.
State of emergency remains in Gisborne after intense rainfall
A state of emergency is still in place in Gisborne today after intense rainfall led to flooding, downing trees, and even destabilising the land under some houses.
RNZ reporter Tom Kitchin has been… Audio
Clean up begins in Gisborne after extraordinary rainfall
The extraordinarily heavy rainfall has eased in Gisborne today, as locals begin cleaning up their homes and streets after flooding, slips, and downed trees.
A local state of emergency is still in… Audio
Gisborne flooding: Sponge Bay update
A clean up will get underway in Tairawhiti today after the region was drenched by rain yesterday.
Three months of rain fell in 36 hours. Roads turned into lakes and there were widespread power… Audio
Gisborne flooding: Civil Defence worried about weekend forecast
Gisborne's rain has faded but not stopped, and it's leaving Civil Defence and Emergency Management in the area concerned about what will happen over the weekend.
On Thursday residents of Sponge Bay… Audio
Gisborne heavy rain update
The small coastal settlement of Uawa Tolaga Bay has been hit by heavy rain and flooding.
Emergency services are continuing to watch river levels closely. If the water rises to 10 meters, they will… Audio
Gisborne Mayor details latest on flooding, state of emergency
A state of emergency has been declared in Gisborne as heavy rain pounds the region.
Flooding has closed several roads and the sewer system is under pressure. Some residents of Sponge Bay have… Video, Audio
Australian toddler's rescue a 'miracle' - anthropologist
A photo of smiling Cleo Smith, the four-year old found in a locked house eighteen days after her disappearance in remote Western Australia, reassured a nation on tenterhooks.
Mother Ellie Smith… Audio
Police Tactical Response Model to be trialled in four areas
Further details have been announced about the new Police Tactical Response Model set to begin later this month.
Nelson fire destroys isolated bach
Firefighters have been transported to a fire at an isolated bach on Nelson's Boulder Bank by the Coastguard.
Firefighters still at Christchurch wastewater plant
Firefighters are still on site at Christchurch's main wastewater treatment plant, which caught fire yesterday afternoon.
The fire was contained last night, but at its peak, 50 fightfighters were at… Audio
Fire breaks out at Christchurch wastewater plant
A major fire broke out at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant on Monday afternoon.
Urgent search in W Australia for missing 4-year-old girl
To Australia, where an urgent search for a missing four-year-old girl feared abducted is being hampered by extreme weather.
Cleo Smith went missing from a campsite in a rural area on the coast of… Video, Audio
Fire in prominent building in Palmerston North CBD brought under control
A fire in a landmark Palmerston North building is believed to be suspicious.
Lebanon oil fire takes hours to contain
A huge fire at an oil facility in Lebanon has taken three hours to contain, and has been called a near catastrophe.
It follows the devastating blast in Beirut last year, which killed over 200 people.
…Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes near Tokyo
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck Japan's eastern coast, shaking the Tokyo area.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said no abnormalities have been detected at Japan's nuclear facilities, including… Audio