East Coast

A heavy rain forecast for Tairawhiti Gisborne has now been upgraded to an orange warning, while warnings and watches in other parts of the country remain.

The manager overseeing the work believed it could be the heaviest pull ever done in New Zealand.

Country Life: From the back country to the coast, you won't find many places or people untouched by the claws of cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, which ravaged Tai Rāwhiti at the start of the year. Audio

Communities on the East Coast say they are sick of band-aid fixes and being praised for their resilience.

The new rules will give communities greater control of what is planted, and where.

Radio Ngāti Porou's headquarters in Ruatōria may not look like your typical radio station, and that's probably because it isn't.

The proposed rates increase signals to the government that the district needs major financial support for its cyclone recovery, the Wairoa District Council says.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is addressing media after visiting Tolaga Bay Area School in Tai Rāwhiti.

Residents of a "forgotten" Gisborne road are bracing for winter in caravans and makeshift living arrangements as they wait to get back into their homes.

Flood-ravaged West Aucklanders are rejoicing after the government announced it will offer buyout options to people whose land is too risky to rebuild on. Audio

Craig Little fears even with government assistance, borrowing will be needed.

News of a joint buyout scheme for those affected by extreme weather has been met with relief by local politicians, but they say the work is just beginning and the devil will be in the detail. Audio

Councillors are supporting council staff for their decisive decision-making during the Cyclone Gabrielle, despite confusion over the bill being worsened by bad record keeping.

After three months of moving goods along the East Coast by sea rather than road, the government-funded "blue highway" has reached its end.

State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa is now open around the clock.

A Gisborne-based forest contracting business owner is "devastated" at having to pull the pin on his 23-year-old company.

Analysis - Hawke's Bay dodged a much worse cellphone and internet blackout in Cyclone Gabrielle when fuel supplies ran critically low, papers show. Audio