Three cows left standing on an island of land have drawn international attention.

A historic homestead is in tatters and the four other properties on a north Canterbury sheep and beef farm were damaged in today's

Kiwis have rallied behind the family burgled after fleeing their seaside home in Christchurch this morning, with almost $20,000 fundraised.

Students who sat a digital version of NCEA Level 1 English last week have been offered a derived grade following technical problems with the exam pilot.

The Clarence River has burst its banks, with residents being told to move to high ground immediately, as aftershocks continue to rock the country.

Three cows have been luckily - or unluckily - stranded on an island of land, surrounded by collapsed earth from landslides near Kaikoura.

Most schools will open tomorrow, following hundreds of closures after the quake.

Today's earthquake can trigger emotional trauma for Cantabrians even though there's been little physical damage in Christchurch, a psychologist says.

North Canterbury farmers are rallying together by sharing cow sheds and lending generators as they try to carry out the daily business

The aftermath of this morning's earthquake has left the home of Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper trashed.

Students at an Auckland school were 20 minutes into their history scholarship exam this morning before it was cancelled.

When Tess Prentice got tossed out of bed by the giant earthquake that destroyed her cliff-top family home, she thought it was the "end of the world".

Sez Nathan and her family watched as the walls of their Waiau home crumbled around them in the early hours of this morning.

Scientists have debunked a prediction that a major earthquake could hit the South Pacific on November 14.

Police are investigating three burglaries following this morning's earthquake in Christchurch.

Images are starting to come out of Kaikoura where widespread damage and one death has occurred.

As New Zealand wakes up to reports of the series of earthquakes to have shaken the country overnight the rest of the world is also coming to grips with the news.

Newstalk ZB listeners share their stories of the night.

Scholarship exams have been cancelled, but NCEA exams can go ahead in schools if they are not earthquake damaged, NZQA says.

The earthquake in the early hours of this morning brought back memories of the September 2010 and February 2011 quakes for Donna Mills.

Christchurch residents have escaped the worst of the quake.

A Waiau local says roads around the epicentre of this morning's quake are blocked by massive landslides and deep cracks that stretch for miles.

Heavy rain and wind is forecast to batter the upper South Island and lower North Island this afternoon.

Many people evacuated from Kaiapoi due to the tsunami risk have hunkered down in their vehicles at the Pak n'Save carpark in Rangiora.

Primary responsibility for civil defence emergency management at a local level rests with your local council.

There are casualties following this morning's quakes, acting Civil Defence minister Gerry Brownlee says.

More than one fault may be responsible for this morning's earthquakes.

The driver of the 4WD which got stuck in a North Canterbury river was breath-tested at the scene, and was over the limit, according to police.

A major medical marijuana trial is underway in New Zealand - testing the effects of a new cannabis gel on epilepsy patients.