Flood defcon main 1

Live: Rising waters in Christchurch 'dangerous'

High tide has sparked urgent evacuations in parts of Christchurch hit worst by floods. Elsewhere in the South Island, including a sodden Timaru, the rain is starting to ease and emergency measures are being lifted.

Residents surrounded by water

Waimea Terrace resident Tarapreet Singh, 25.

4:48 PM  The kitchen sink is brimming with water, the toilet nearly overflowing as water laps at doors in Christchurch.

Horses scramble to safety

A large tree swept past as the horses huddled for safety.

12 min ago  Five horses and a pony clung together to dodge an enormous tree sweeping towards them in raging floodwaters.

Peak tide troubles Christchurch

Flooding threatens a property on Weir Place, Hoon Hay, Christchurch.

4:33 PM  High water levels compound the urgent situation as many residents are told to evacuate their homes if they can do so safely.

Attacked in own driveway

The brutal attack happened on Sutherland Road in Point Chevalier.

"She was assaulted from behind without warning, while approaching her own car, in her own driveway."

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national

State of emergency lifted gallery video

Gus, left, and Tom Cameron check out the damage to Stanton Rd, at Kimbell near Fairlie, after it was washed out overnight.

The state of emergency has been lifted for Timaru as attention turns to clean up.

Drunk, stuck and hypothermic

A group of nine drunk people suffering from hypothermia had to be rescued from rising flood waters overnight.

A whiebaiter's hut under water at the Kaitangata mouth just before Inch Clutha was evacuated as a precaution on Saturday ...

Kaitangata pulls its weight in crisis

4:43 PM  It was a race against time and the tide as floods threatened the small Southland community.

Video

Heathcote River floods in Chch

Flooded residents near the Heathcote River in Christchurch were evacuated from their homes in boats because the current was too strong to leave on foot.

world

Police chief resigns after death

Justine Damond, 40, was shot and killed on the weekend in the US.

Janee Harteau steps aside after Australian Justine Damond was shot by one of her officers.

Problem with Trump pardon

ANALYSIS: Richard Nixon didn't believe a president could do anything illegal, but knew he couldn't pardon himself. Donald Trump may not.

Sean Spicer and other Trump aides shook up White House dealings with the media.

Spicer resigns amid turmoil video

The White House spokesman resigned on Friday, ending a brief and turbulent tenure that made him a household name.

business

Aussie tax plan 'too draconian'

Revenue Minister Judith Collins has warned Australia's approach to multi-nationals could backfire if New Zealand adopted it.

Judith Collins says Kiwi exporters could be hurt if NZ follows Australia's plan to stop multinationals' tax avoidance.

Japan air link to meet demand

New Air NZ flights provide second entry point to Tokyo.

Potholes in the Wilson Parking car park on the corner of Gloucester and Manchester streets.

Millions on parking misery

It's fair to say that Wilson Parking has become notorious in Christchurch since the earthquakes.

technology

Apple fixes wi-fi flaw video

If you have an Apple phone, download the latest iOS update now.

A software update to iOS and macOS should be downloaded right now.

Apple will be wrong again video

OPINION: It's the silly season for financial predictions about Apple Inc. With history as our guide, it is folly to place much faith in them?

Woebot is always ready to talk.

Woebot, the chatbot therapist

The app asks for a list of user's strengths, remembers responses, and offers encouragement.

homed

Interior inspo of the week

Your Friday dose of puppy love, it's photographer Tara Sutherland's French bulldog Puppy, Bogie, atop a stylish rug.

Eye-candy from Instagram shared by stylish Kiwis.

Why the Kmart cult love?

OPINION: The bargain super store has more followers than some celebs. So what's the deal?

Shelves in this unit in a teenager's bedroom are backed with a lively wallpaper.

Great looks on the cheap video

Upcycling furniture is an inexpensive way to add personality and style to your home interior.

life & style

Is this beer sexist?

Aurosa beer claims to be the "first beer for her".

It comes in a pink bottle and is marketed as 'the first beer for her'.

Wizard fun & guerrilla grins

OPINION: Fiona Barber has developed a magical power – and she’s having lots of (mostly innocent) japes with it.

Lotta Dann's popular blog and subsequent memoir, Mrs D is Going Without documented her recovery from alcoholism. Her ...

'Get booze out of supermarkets'

"Having it in our faces in that place of easy shopping is a real challenge."

well & good

Can you really think yourself fit?

Simply believing that you're physically fit - even if you're not - can provide major health benefits, study shows.

Simply believing that you're physically fit - even if you're not - can provide major health benefits, study shows.

Is cancer just ‘bad luck’?

Does luck really play a role when it comes to cancer? And is there anything we can do to change it?

Bath bombs are meant for relaxation and body care

Awful reaction to bath bombs

Girls left crying with sore genitals after soaking in bath bombs.

food & wine

How do cocktails get their names?

Wellington's Monsoon Poon's take on the Tom Collins cocktail.

These cocktails have the best back stories.

This is where I draw the line

The latest pinots from Central Hawkes Bay are so good, they’ve made John Saker redraft his map.

Top 10 New Zealand junk foods

A delicious way to raise funds

nz farmer

Farmers combat deluge

Federated Farmers branch chairman Mark Adams said farmers always prepared for bad weather and made sure they had extra ...

Reports of farmers stranded after storm damages culverts, creeks and fences.

Don't spare the cream cheese

Chinese consumers are finding 'bold' new ways of using cream cheese and Fonterra is capitalising on the trend.

Weeds: counting the cost

Quad bike safety quest

entertainment

When heroes kill themselves

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington was found dead at his home near Los Angeles.

4:15 PM  Opinion: There is something deeply wrong with my generation and I'm sick to death of it.

Taika wins at Matariki Awards video

Awards celebrate Maori achievement, and Taika Waititi was top of the list.

A convincing sculpture of a beached whale near Notre Dame in Paris had locals and tourists turning heads.

Beached as, mon frere video

A sperm whale that appeared to have beached itself in Paris was in fact a sculpture.

travel

Fly 'n' flop is the Kiwi way

When it comes to overseas travel, Kiwis aren't as adventurous as we might seem.

OPINION: Our favourite destinations don't paint us as daring, adventurous travellers.

Hotspot of the week: Galicia

 The Festival of Near Death Experiences sees participants carried to church in coffins.

Try Shake's zombie-themed, teeth and all freakshake of the month. If you're scared, there's a more friendly option ...

Capital time at Welly food fest

Head to the capital next month to sample the best grub and drinks the capital has to offer.

motoring

New 911 GTS a circuit commuter

Porsche's GTS models bridge the gap between road and track. This is the $264,600 911 Carrera 2 version.

There's yet another new 911 model. Confused? Us too. But we still love the road-to-racetrack GTS.

Seatbelt message fails to click video

Big rise in numbers killed when not wearing belts raises questions over safety ads.

Takata airbags are subject to a worldwide recall. (File photo)

Faulty airbag kills Aussie

Takata airbags have now been attributed to 17 deaths worldwide, including a near decapitation.

stuff nation

NZ needs online voting stuff nation

Why can't we enter our IRD numbers online and vote that way?

Why can't we enter our IRD numbers online and vote that way?

Mist rising in Whangarei stuff nation

Terry Hand captured this misty image as the sun rose over Whangarei farmland.

Would more youths vote if there were an option to vote online?

What do youth voters want? stuff nation

What will it take to get youths to turn up and vote in the election?

sport

'They're in the same boat'

The Highlanders are expected to make it to Christchurch in time for their quarterfinal despite suffering flight delays ...

Wet weather not dampening the Highlanders mood after late arrival in Christchurch for Super Rugby quarterfinal.

Ko's great escape video

4:31 PM  Kiwi golfer comes up with a brilliant finish to survive the cut.

Jordie Barrett celebrates his somewhat unconventional try during the Hurricanes quarterfinal victory over the Brumbies.

Falcon bounces for Barrett video

Jordie Barrett is developing brother Beauden's knack for popping up in the right place at the right time.

opinion

Treatment of women grates

Helen Mirren always looks fabulous on the red carpet but why do women have to be reduced to their age and what they are ...

OPINION: It really grinds my gears to see a woman reduced to her age and what she was wearing.

Care needed with tributes

Chester Bennington of the band Linkin Park performs during the second day of the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the ...

OPINION: We all need to be careful in sharing grief over Linkin Park singer's death.

All hail the zombie master

The late US filmmaker George A. Romero was known for mastering the zombie film genre.

OPINION: The late George A Romero threw a mirror up to society, exposing the capitalist nightmare.

Momentum with Peters

NZ First leader Winston Peters is pulling out all his old trusty policies and tricks in his bid to secure the leverage ...

OPINION: In the dance of the desperates, Winston Peters is whirling the fastest.

good reads

How do you stop begging? video

Marcus Pohio is homeless and regularly begs on Courtenay Place, in Wellington.

The only thing that will get Marcus Pohio off the street is death. But is public generosity speeding that up?

Welfare system 'cruel and broken'

Metiria Turei's admission has shone a light on the welfare state.

Metiria Turei's WINZ admission is evidence our system "drives people to make terrible choices" - and experts agree.

'Bad mothers' could be just like you

Judging people is easy. What about trying to understand their lives?

OPINION: Judging people is easy. What about trying to understand their lives?

Pete's legacy: a haunting new drama

David Lowrey's A Ghost Story was initially inspired by a single image of a ghost.

How one director managed to persuade Oscars' current best actor to spend most of a movie with a sheet over his head.

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oddstuff

Beached as, mon frere video

A convincing sculpture of a beached whale near Notre Dame in Paris had locals and tourists turning heads.

A sperm whale that appeared to have beached itself in Paris was in fact a sculpture.

Labour calls in foreign aid

Michael Greenhough and David Burch are staying with New Plymouth Labour candidate Corie Haddock and said they are ...

Two overseas students have been brought in by Labour to help whip the party's campaign into shape.

Boaty McBoatface has a new friend video

Meet Trainy McTrainface, the long lost cousin of Boaty McBoatface.

Meet Trainy McTrainface. Should we stop letting the public name things now?

'Rotten cow' really ancient fossil

Jude Sparks with the Stegomastodon fossil he stumbled across in a desert in the US.

A 9-year-old tripped over what his brother decided was a "big, fat rotten cow" in the US. It turned out to be much more.

Parenting

Fire pits, tools tools for kindy kids

Besides building confidence and safety awareness, intentional teaching also helps kids develop language and brain-body ...

While real tools and open fires aren't things you'd normally expect to find at an early childhood centre, new research suggests that perhaps they should be.

'Bad mums' may be just like you

Judging people is easy. What about trying to understand their lives?

OPINION: Judging people is easy. What about trying to understand their lives?

Pink slammed for multi-tasking

Pink with her baby son, Jameson.

It's a scenario many mums will find all-too familiar.

Charlotte's hand-me-downs

Princess Charlotte wears the same pair of red leather buckled shoes Prince Harry wore in 1986.

31 years later, the red sandals are still in pretty good shape.

kiwi traveller

Readers' best travel photos

38th Parallel Beach, South Korea "My buddies Moon-jun and Yong-ik getting after some surf after a very big snow storm ...

Do you have a holiday snap that you'd like to share with the world?

Fly 'n' flop: the Kiwi way

When it comes to overseas travel, Kiwis aren't as adventurous as we might seem.

OPINION: Our favourite destinations don't paint us as daring, adventurous travellers. Most of us do not venture past Australia.

Want to travel? Read this first

Roaming the world can be great, but there's a travel 101 guide to adhere to.

Roaming the world can be great, but there's a travel 101 guide to adhere to.

What holiday photos really mean

No one who's genuinely having a great time is taking photos and posting them online.

OPINION: No one who's genuinely having a great time is taking photos and posting them online.

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