East Coast

Widespread delays are expected across the Wellington Region and Coromandel Peninsula as major highway closures begin this week.

A heritage building Gisborne District Council placed on private property without the landowner's permission has a new home with a Tai Rāwhiti iwi.

An East Coast harbour master is calling for changes to the country's boat ownership rules after a man abandoned his vessel and successfully evaded authorities for 12 months.

A group hoping to establish a controversial barge facility at the northern tip of the East Coast is confident it will get the project across the line in the coming months.

The father of a 10-year-old girl in hospital after being crushed by a massive log at a Gisborne beach is warning other parents to be on the lookout for the dangers posed by woody debris. Audio

Demand far exceeds the funding available, but none have been given anything close to the per business cap.

Climate and health experts warn storms like Cyclone Gabrielle will have increasingly devastating public health consequences as the world warms.

The Chief Ombudsman says he expects a rise in complaints on the back of extreme weather events, but it could take some time for frustration to boil over into a noticeable spike.

People living in flood-affected parts of Tai Rāwhiti might receive a knock at the door in the coming weeks.

Relocatable homes have arrived in Tairāwhiti, providing a welcome boost for some of those displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Part of Tairāwhiti's main coastal highway will close tonight, as Easter travellers flood the roads and heavy rains are forecast, with no date for its reopening.

Police will be out in force this Easter watching for dangerous drivers, and those travelling on cyclone-damaged roads and in heavy rain are advised to be cautious.

King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero has finished a four-day visit to cyclone-hit communities across the Ngāti Kahungunu rohe.

A Gisborne woman living with terminal cancer fears she will "die prematurely" if proposed changes to the country's medicine legislation go through, limiting her ability to import a "miracle" drug.

A Gisborne farmer upset over the district council's lack of care for a frequently-flooded river is calling for action in the wake of devastation from Cyclone Gabrielle.

An iwi organisation says Wairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes.

More than $350,000 of council money went towards accessing water from an industry site following Cyclone Gabrielle, but the project never got off the ground.

The 2.2km route, named Pourau Road, provides a way around State Highway 35's busted Hikuwai No.1 Bridge.

Exhaustion, frustration and an air of sadness could be felt at a Tolaga Bay meeting, as people shared emotional accounts of the impact of slash and recent cyclones.

They used falsified customary permits, but iwi and marae had no knowledge or involvement.