East Coast

A scientific project to understand more about Gisborne's critical groundwater will start in February.

The Tairāwhiti region appears to have escaped another expected storm just days after the last major rainfall. Audio

MetService expects rain falling in storm-damaged Tairāwhiti will get heavier in the next few hours.

Uawa Civil Defence is expecting Tolaga Bay communities to be cut off again and roads to continue crumbling as another onslaught of wet weather hits this afternoon.

Forestry companies need to sit down with key stakeholders to understand how to operate better, but there is no need for an inquiry, the Minister of Forestry says. Audio

The local civil defence manager says some families are pondering whether to remain in the area as they deal with the aftermath of last week's Cyclone Hale. Audio

What was meant to be a grand return to business has become another nightmare for the tourism sector after a wet start to the year.

The state of emergency could soon be lifted, as Tairāwhiti authorities work to restore basic services to communities reeling from Cyclone Hale as more rain threatens.

The government has announced $100,000 of funding support for Tairāwhiti farmers and growers impacted by Cyclone Hale.

A project in Tairāwhiti is one of two in the country piloting ways to help men talk about the tough stuff that's well away from the confines of a pub.

Weather warnings have been lifted for Tairāwhiti while Northland says its recovery will take several weeks.

An estimated 30 whānau from the Uawa, or Tolaga Bay area have spent the night away from home, staying with relatives on higher ground as Cyclone Hale set floodwaters lapping at their doors.

Cyclone Hale has made landfall with gale-force winds, 6m swells on the coast and heavy rain, and caused road closures, slips and flooding across several regions.

Police believe several other drive-by shootings in the Kaiti area over the holidays are linked to the 24 December shooting.

Rhythm and Vines has sent crews to clean up rubbish believed to have been dumped by festival-goers, in a cherished forest in Tairāwhiti.

Police said they had gotten out of their own vehicle shortly before the incident.

Two people have died in a crash involving a vehicle and two pedestrians in Gisborne on New Year's Eve.

Police have confirmed they will investigate a complaint into allegations of neglect and an unreported death in an IHC home.

Staff are putting their own wellbeing on the backburner to cope with demand.