It came, it was wild, and then it was over. Cyclone Cook has now passed New Zealand.

Aucklanders were left wondering if the big storm was a fizzer but others felt its force.

Don't shoot the Hawke's Bay Regional Council for trying to care, writes Bruce Bisset.

Five findings from a new independent stocktake of the state of our lakes and rivers.

Time to get out your gumboots and umbrellas with wet weather on the way.

Hundreds of angry Edgecumbe residents stormed out of a public meeting last night.

Trustpower's CEO says under their flooding plan nothing could have been done differently.

Flooding, evacuations and complete chaos - tropical storm Debbie brought it all to NZ.

Some say it is a safety risk for reserve users. - Made with funding from NZ On Air

A school is being evacuated and flooding is hitting lots of areas in in the North Island.

Colombian president declares state of emergency after landslide sweeps through city.

Risk of flooding remains high for Queensland and northern NSW as 20,000 people evacuated.

NZ's economic growth is "approaching its environmental limits", a once-a-decade environmental report card says.

COMMENT: Jamie Whyte feels our legislators have embarrassed themselves.

The consent allows its new owner to extract 4.3 million litres of water a day until 2032.

Isaac Davison examines the departure of three groups from the Land and Water Forum advisory group.

The skies are beginning to clear after last night's storm, but the respite may be short-lived, with thunderstorms and more heavy rain forecast for later today.

No major damage from yesterday's storm, but there's more on the way.

COMMENT: The Environment Minister's promise to make 90 per cent of rivers swimmable by 2040 is a cynical sleight of hand, writes Gen Toop from Greenpeace.

COMMENT: The Government's plan to clean up waterways is an attempt to look as though action's being taken, when in reality nothing's happening, says Mark Dye.

New target would require cleaning up 10,000km of waterways at a cost of $2 billion.

Police are moving in on the Dakota Access pipeline protestors.

Bill English may lift the minimum standard for NZ's rivers and streams.

Preparing New Zealand's water stores for a warmer climate is a major focus of new research projects just awarded more than $2 million.

Searchers are poised to go into the Southern Alps for an overdue Israeli tramper.

An east Auckland creek is full of dead fish and eels after a sewage leak caused by someone flushing wet wipes down the toilet.

Drowning a tragedy but dam flood to remain open as an attraction, says Taupo mayor.

A drone has been used to search for a missing 19-year-old who was swept away during a night swim in the Hutt River last night.

These are the high points from Labour and Greens' State of the Nation speeches this afternoon.

Kiwis "must be vigilant" about swimming in our rivers, a freshwater scientist says, with data often showing high levels of E. coli in waterways.