Hawke's Bay

Police have blocked off part of a highway in Napier, as they carry out a search warrant.

Apprentice builders in Wairoa are earning their qualifications by repairing flood-damaged homes.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council says a $10 million boost to help clean up silt is still nowhere near enough.

Police said the victims also attacked officers and ambulance staff trying to help them.

A former chef who has cooked about 170,000 meals for cyclone-affected families and volunteers in Hawke's Bay will soon hang up her apron - for now. Audio

The current runway at the town's airport was too short to land large planes during the Cyclone Gabrielle response.

A man said "How dare you put your hands on my missus" as he swung a knife into the chest of a woman, causing a fatal injury.

Craig Little hopes political parties will offer an assurance on helping his cyclone-damaged town, whose problems are compounded by suffering a natural disaster in an election year, he believes.

Police have arrested and charged three women with kidnapping and assault after an incident in Napier last week.

The Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Fund will not be open for applications until early next year, but affected communities say that money is needed now.

One person has died after a vehicle hit a median barrier in the Hastings District on Saturday night.

The rail connection between Napier and Hastings has been restored after it was badly damaged seven months ago by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Business owners in the Central Hawke's Bay town of Waipawa say more than a month of roadworks unrelated to Cyclone Gabrielle will be the final straw after a tough year.

Hastings and Napier councils have approved changes to their long-term plans to allow buyouts of category 3 homes.

The council said it was choosing to focus on the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery, rather than lengthy and pricey legal proceedings.

Doctors are grappling with mistrust around information entered into the IT systems at Hawke's Bay hospital, including what it tells them about patients and critical scan results.

Nearly 15,000 extra construction workers may be needed to repair infrastructure damage from this year's wild weather, experts say.

Hawke's Bay police are appealing for footage of dirt bikes being driven dangerously, after a spate of incidents in the weekend.

The first temporary village for those forced out of their homes after Cyclone Gabrielle is soon to be built in Hastings.

Heroes who came to the rescue during Cyclone Gabrielle have been honoured for their actions.