Heavy rain has left Gisborne virtually cut off, with surface flooding closing roads and forcing the evacuation of homes.

Heavy rain is lashing the North Island's East Coast, leaving dozens of homes without power and closing rural schools and roads.

Schools have closed, houses are without power and homes have been evacuated as rain continues to lash the Gisborne region.

We quiz some of New Zealand's best winemakers to find their tipples du jour.

Mayor Meng Foon says it was a mistake to write a letter supporting a man who raped a woman then got takeaways before raping her again.

The people in the Fashion Week crowd that really matter are the ones who can make or break a label - the buyers.

New Zealand's analogue television service will be switched off progressively nationwide between September 2012 and late 2013, the Government said today.

Family and friends today recalled four-year-old Lucas Ward as a "little man who could not be contained" with a special zest for life.

As police pull out of the search for 4-year-old Lucas Ward, the head of the investigation has admitted the Gisborne boy may never be found, but his family are not giving up.

The grandfather of missing Gisborne toddler Lucas Ward says the family hasn't given up hope and will keep on searching.

As the search for Gisborne pre-schooler Lucas Ward enters its sixth day, police have no plans to scale down their search.

The disappearance of preschooler Lucas Ward has "ripped at the heart" of the Gisborne community.

Gisborne police were again checking the Waimata River for missing boy Lucas Ward this morning, despite being "99 per cent sure" he wasn't there.