A post-mortem examination has found the 19-year-old shot by police in rural Hawkes Bay yesterday died from a gunshot wound.

A clearer picture of how Lachan Kelly-Tumarae came to be shot dead by police could take some time, with police saying the investigation will be a "slow and meticulous process".

A former Armed Offenders Squad chief says police only had a split second to act when shooting victim Lachan Kelly-Tumarae allegedly aimed a weapon at them, and had to aim at his body "mass", rather than a limb.

A man shot dead in an armed stand-off with police was training with the army and had moved to Napier to escape the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake.

Tropical Cyclone Bune is making its way down to New Zealand and is expected to pass to the east of the country from Wednesday.

Police have named the man shot dead by a police officer in rural Hawkes Bay early this morning and say it appears the 19-year-old fired a shotgun first before being shot by an officer with a Glock pistol in Fernhill, about 15km from Napier.

Today's fatal police shooting near Napier is the seventh in just over a decade, since Waitara man Steven Wallace's death in 2000.

Witnesses have described desperate attempts to save the motorists involved in a fiery crash in Napier yesterday morning.

A truck carrying eggs has crashed into a ditch on State Highway two at Waipukurau.

A car has burst into flames after crashing in Napier, leaving one person fighting for their life.

A Wellington diver who made headlines when he mysteriously disappeared from Titahi Bay near Porirua gave an elaborate account of being abducted when he turned up some 300km away two days later.

A tropical cyclone formed near Fiji today is on track to bring strong winds and heavy rain to New Zealand next week, forecasters predict.

People in northern and eastern areas of the North Island are being advised to take precautions as heavy rains threaten to sweep across those regions tonight and tomorrow, with a possibility of flooding in coastal and low-lying areas.

The father of the last New Zealander who was missing in Japan until yesterday thought the chances of son Peter Setter being alive were "tipping in the wrong direction", until the wonderful news of his survival, in one of Japan's worst hit

A Kiwi missing in Japan for whom authorities had "significant concerns" has been found alive and well, MFAT has confirmed.

A Hawke's Bay couple are desperate for news of their missing son who they fear may have died in the Japan disaster. Peter Setter, 45, is the only New Zealander in Japan who authorities have "significant concerns" about, following news

A two-week cannabis operation in the Hawke's Bay has resulted in the seizure of about $45 million worth of cannabis plants and more than 60 arrests.