Over 18,000 Fijians are in evacuation centres as Cyclone Tomas continues to slam its islands with rain and high winds. Officials say there have been more deaths.

A state of disaster has been declared in cyclone-ravaged Fiji by its prime minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

A new group of Fijian islands are in the firing line of Cyclone Tomas' fury this morning.

A man was last night fighting for his life after falling off a balcony and suffering with broken bones and a severe head injury.

The mother of a baby girl who died after being found face down in a bath was regularly visited by Child Youth and Family.

The body of a middle-aged man without a lifejacket was found floating in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour yesterday, renewing safety calls.

The devastated parents of a young woman who died suddenly during a touch rugby game tell of desperate attempts to revive her in front of her family and fiance.

Detectives are hunting for a mystery vehicle which left the scene of a horror car crash in Canterbury and claimed the life of a popular university lecturer.

Lifeguards say they do not want the power to arrest people who ignore beach closures, despite calls for them to be given enforcement powers.

New Zealand's tsunami alert has been cancelled but people in coastal areas of the country are still advised to take caution.

Hundreds of New Zealanders who raced to beaches to watch a potentially catastrophic tsunami were 'stupid', says Civil Defence Minister John Carter.

Up to $50m of yearly government subsidies to Telecom could be up for review if this morning's 111 outage is found to amount to a substandard service.