Flooding

A Bay of Plenty farmer says this has been the toughest year of farming in his 35 years on the land.

Edgecumbe residents are unlikely to be back home for Christmas, six months on from the stopbank failure and devastating flood, the local mayor says.

Edgecumbe residents say a new independent report into the town's disastrous flood has not answered their questions - including who is to blame.

US President Donald Trump has praised the relief response to Hurricane Harvey on his second visit to flood-hit states.

Hurricane Harvey has forced 779,000 Texans to evacuate their homes, while another 980,000 have fled voluntarily, with swollen reservoirs and rivers bringing new flooding.

New Zealand's Bangladeshi community is rallying to try to send help to those affected by the catastrophic flooding in south Asia. Audio

At least seven people in the Houston area are dead due to Tropical Storm Harvey, but officials warn the worst flooding is still to come with more heavy rain on the way.

A New Zealander living in Texas is trapped in her house by rising floodwaters, with thigh-high water now "creeping up the driveway". Audio

The US city of Houston is in the grip of the biggest storm in the history of the state of Texas, officials say.

As floodwaters rise, there are unconfirmed reports of bodies in submerged cars, and the number of counties declaring a federal disaster continues to climb.

Farmers in flood-hit Otago are to get extra government support including rural assistance payments.

Building on flood plains should be banned until councils better understand the risk, a flooding researcher says.

At least 57 flood-hit households in Christchurch are having to find somewhere else to live because their properties are potentially contaminated with raw sewerage.