Latest fromFires
Massive fire still burning in south Canterbury
A massive blaze has engulfed the hills above Waimate in south Canterbury and tonight continues to burn.
Stretched firefighters battle two large blazes
Stretched Canterbury firefighters are battling two large scrub fires, one in Rolleston and one in Waimate.
Firefighters battle 120 hectare scrub fire
Firefighters are continuing to battle a 120 hectare scrub fire in Waimate, which has now spread into forest.
Te Aroha folk share the love for affected workers
Te Aroha locals are supporting the families of workers who lost their jobs when the local meatworks went up in flames.
Prospects bleak for Te Aroha workers
'They're calling it a seasonal lay-off which is bull,' a worker at Silver Fern Farm's fire-hit Te Aroha factory says.
Nearly half meatworks' staff will be laid off
About 160 of the 350 workers at Silver Fern Farms' Waikato beef slaughter plant at Te Aroha are likely to only be paid a minimum wage until Christmas.
Meat works CEO meets with anxious workers
The 200 workers left jobless after a massive fire gutted a Waikato freezing works remain cautiously optimistic.
Contractor's saw sparks blamed for meat plant blaze
Sparks from a contractor's saw are believed to have ignited the fire that gutted a Waikato freezing works.
Pike River: Cooling operation underway
An operation has begun to extinguish the fire coming from the vent shaft of the Pike River mine and cool the surrounding concrete pad, using water pumped up from a nearby creek.
Staff worried after meat works fire
The beef processing plant badly damaged by fire at Te Aroha, near Hamilton, overnight may be rebuilt into a world-class plant, owner Silver Fern Farms says.
Massive blaze at freezing works
Photos from the fire at the Silver Fern Farms freezing works in Te Aroha, Waikato.