Weather

Clayton Bunker has his family in a motel but got back to rescue their cats today from their home where floodwaters reached the top of the skirting boards, but up to the ceiling of son Geoffrey's glass… Audio

Whanganui business owners briefly allowed back into shops, offices and galleries today have emerged dismayed by the sea of tainted mud and mammoth task ahead. Audio

On the line is the Taranaki South District Council's mayor Ross Dunlop. Audio

A state of emergency remains in place for Whanganui and Taranaki today. In Whanganui some residents remain locked out of their homes today, amid fears of contamination and structural damage after the… Audio

So it was cold last night but just how cold?? ...Temperatures plummeted throughout the country. Audio

Our reporter Carla Penman is in Whanganui East. Audio

A state of emergency remains in force in parts of Whanganui and Taranaki, three days after some of the worst floods in the districts' histories. Audio

A state of emergency remains in place for Whanganui and Taranaki this morning. Audio

A state of emergency remains in place for Whanganui and Taranaki this morning. Audio

Laura Watson and her husband farm in a remote area off State Highway 4 north of Whanganui. Audio

Opposition parties say infrastructure needs to be more resilient in the face of climate change. Audio

In Whanganui city's flooded east Willy McGregor is one of the lucky few who's back home. But his house on Anzac Parade is surrounded by mud and water. Audio

Four hundred people are unable to return to their flood-hit homes in Whanganui this evening with council cordons up to keep homeowners away as floodwaters recede. Audio

The Putiki Marae in Whanganui has been badly hit by the flooding that's inundated parts of the city over the last few days. A stream of floodwater has been running through the meeting house. Andrew… Audio

The mayor of Whanganui district Annette Main is with us. Audio

Brent Manning is from the South Taranaki District Council. Audio

45 kilometres up the Whanganui River, the O'Hagan farming family at Operiki Station were split up by slips that they're expecting will keep them cut off for a month. Audio

Helicopters have been flying all day over flood-ravaged Whanganui and Taranaki, evacuating pregnant women and others with babies, and ferrying in food and generators to farms that may be cut off for a… Audio

Whanganui has been hit by the worst flooding in recorded history. The cost of the flooding in the lower North Island is expected to be second only to the Canterbury earthquakes. Audio

The Transport Agency's regional performance manager, Mark Owen, is on the line. Audio