Two men have died after a sudden turn in the weather caused waves to swamp their kayaks, tipping them into the icy cold water in Lake Tekapo this afternoon.

Firefighters have managed to successfully contain a large fire in the Auckland suburb of Glendene.

Team battle blustery winds, snow and ice to save an Australian couple from spending a night in freezing conditions in the central North Island.

Emergency services responded to the blaze at a large block of flats on Swanson Rd about 5.15pm.

Two policemen who saved a man from a burning flat are being hailed as lifesavers. One of the rescuers required hospital treatment for smoke inhalation.

Every couple of months, on average, Craig Watts brings someone back to life.

Police have confirmed the boy who was critically injured on Friday at an Invercargill school was struck in the head by an electric fence post.

A 10-year-old schoolboy is in an induced coma after a "tragic incident" at an Invercargill school yesterday.

Five fire crews and an ambulance attended a suspected chemical spill Auckland International Airport last night.

Emergency crews were called to the accident on State Highway 1 in Piarere shortly before 8.30pm.

Police said the impact injured the vehicle's two occupants. The crash happened about 6.20pm near Te Horo.

Emergency services have flooded to a reported anthrax scare in Wellington this afternoon, only to find out it was a false alarm.

Crash investigators mapping out the scene of a fatal collision overnight had a close call today as a distracted speeding driver stopped just short of the cordon.

Police, fire and ambulance services were called to Maronan Road, near the Hinds River Bridge, shortly after 4.30pm after reports of a truck going over the bank.

Emergency services are currently at Gordonton Road, also known as State Highway 1B, in the Waikato, where a person has died at the scene following the collision.

The crash between a motorbike and car happened at 3.05pm at the intersection of Pateke Place and Kereru St.

A man in his 60s was airlifted to hospital after a roading repair truck rolled down a steep embankment in the Turakina Valley.

The Fire Service have been left perplexed after receiving several 111 calls reportedly from a 15-year-old boy saying he was scared of monsters.

A person has suffered burns after a gas container exploded beneath a house in South Auckland.

An elderly Dunedin man who died after being hit by a car last night has been named by police. He was 86-year-old Albert Arthur Wolf, known as Bert, of Fairfield.

Three fire trucks were called to the scene of the house fire in Christchurch at 4.58pm after receiving multiple calls, southern fire communications shift manager Riwai Grace said.

Police are investigating the death of an 86-year-old Dunedin man who was hit by a car in Fairfield, Dunedin last night.

Emergency services were called to the University of Canterbury's science centre about 1.30pm, following reports of a sulfuric acid vapour spill.

A Fire Service spokeswoman said when crews arrived at the scene at 7.10pm there was no evidence of fire.

A New Zealand Fire Service spokesman said six appliances were called to a blaze at Edgewater College in Pakuranga just after 5pm.

Emergency services have been called to the scene of the crash on State Highway 27 near Matamata.

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was called to the small rural town of Takapau at 3pm, after it was found the boy had an airway obstruction.

Twelve new state-of-the-art ambulances will soon hit New Zealand roads, thanks to the generosity of Kiwis.

The woman was driving on Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway when her vehicle and another collided head on.

The Herald understands the injured man is affiliated with Black Power. However, the altercation that led to his injuries were not thought to be gang-related.