Weather

For the first time there has been a mass bleaching of native sea sponges in Aotearoa, raising alarm about the impact climate change is having on marine ecosystems.

Officials in Wairoa say they will need more government funding to recover from flooding over the last two months.

Drought conditions plaguing Southland farmers have eased, after some much-needed rain in the region.

Vehicle length restrictions will remain on two major roads in the Marlborough Sounds as storm repair work continues.

Conditions in the area were so rough the central Queensland coast guard squadron wasn't able to respond until several hours after the emergency call came in, its commodore James Fleming said.

The fog is preventing most flights from taking off or landing in the city this morning.

A flash flood in a small settlement south of Christchurch has damaged more than three houses overnight.

A shop owner on the West Coast is dealing with the damage of half a metre of water flooding inside, after a severe storm overnight.

A dog which fled its Queenstown home during a violent storm was found 6 kilometres away - to the delight of its owner.

Auckland recorded its hottest April temperature since 1998 yesterday afternoon.

Locals say Tairāwhiti has had a constant hammering of bad weather - with at least five storms in the past year shutting off roads and cutting off communities.

More than 12,000 residents in Queenstown, Glenorchy and Frankton were without power after a lightning strike this morning.

A wind-driven Arizona wildfire almost tripled in area on Wednesday after burning dozens of structures and forcing thousands to flee their homes in a drought-hit rural area.