Emergency Services

The blaze, across multiple properties, triggered warnings for people in the area to stay inside and close windows and doors.

All recovery work has come to a stop after geotechnical experts spotted a crack in the hillside, bringing risks of further landslides.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning in Blenheim, police say.

Nearly 30 firefighters were called to a scrub fire on Auckland's Mt Wellington.

Susan Knowles and Jacqualine Wheeler, both 71, are unaccounted for following the landslide, along with four others.

A body has been recovered from the Mahurangi River, police say, after a man was swept away in a car on Wednesday.

Those unaccounted for include two Pakuranga college students and a Morrinsville Intermediate School staff member.

Police were notified of a three-vehicle crash, between Oakleigh Rise and Mangapai Rd, at 2.20pm on Saturday.

Police are supporting the family of a man who was swept downstream after falling from a boat in the Bay of Plenty town of Ōpōtiki.

Tauranga City Council has ordered an independent review into events leading up to the Mauao landslide, as Ngāi Te Rangi call for a full investigation into what caused it.

Georgina Taiapa said two feet of deep silt, water and debris surrounded the motel after a large slip crashed into the property. Audio

It happened just before 12.50pm in Appleby, police said.

A visitor staying near the Mount Hot Pools has described confusion and fear as a landslide smashed into campervans and tents at Mauao.

Te Araroa on the East Coast remains cut off by road, while over 300 in the region are without power.

The unions say they will argue that they were not consulted properly by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Guests were evacuated from the Hotel Grand Chancellor on on Wellesley Street on Wednesday night

Jack Oliver-Hood, 37, was a lawyer who worked on the high-profile murder appeals of Mark Lundy and Gail Maney.

The fire was found in the power supply room.