Northland

Bay of Islands officials are concerned about what the invasive seaweed could mean for the region's environment and economy.

Orange heavy rain warnings have been issued for already sodden Northland, Bay of Plenty and parts of the East Coast, and people are being warned to be prepared.

Education Outdoors New Zealand says it is working with Whangārei Boys' High School on the review brought about by the death of one of its students in the Abbey Caves.

Last week's double child homicide came soon after two other deaths that rocked the community.

Police are investigating any online mentions of the woman charged with murdering two children in Northland last week, who by court order cannot be named.

One person has died after a crash on State Highway 11 at Kawakawa in Northland.

Police took nearly an hour to send an officer to a distress call from a woman at the Ruakākā property where two children were allegedly murdered on Monday.

New Zealand has had decades of warnings about the effects of deforestation of hillsides, draining of wetlands and building behind stopbanks, a freshwater expert says.

Residents in the small Northland town are rallying around each other to grieve the deaths of two children. Audio

A small Northland community is reeling tonight after two people were found dead in a home in Ruakākā.

Northland police have launched a double homicide investigation after two bodies were found at a property in Ruakākā.

New Zealand needs to prepare for the reality that weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary floods will continue to happen 'more and more', the finance minister says. Audio

Councils in some of the regions hit hardest by Cyclone Gabrielle are relieved the government is promising to pay for the repair job on local roads, so the cost will not fall back on ratepayers.

An elderly passenger has been winched from a boat far out at sea in a mission described by rescuers as "extremely challenging".

A Northland school facing scrutiny after a student died on a trip is also in the spotlight after revelations of another safety incident.

A father who stopped his son going on a fatal school caving expedition because of safety concerns says the trip should never have gone ahead - and the school's board speaks. Audio

A month long rāhui has been placed over Abbey Caves, where a Whangārei boy's High School student died in a caving incident on Tuesday.

The whānau of the teenager who died in the Abbey Caves have posted on social media of the deep sadness of their loss. Audio

An inquiry into a fatal school caving trip in Whangārei will focus on why it went ahead despite heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings, a former WorkSafe investigator says.