The cause of today's flooding in Brisbane is very different to the devastating floods in Toowoomba yesterday.

A nine-year-old Auckland boy survived going over a 20m waterfall in Queensland.

Police believe they have found the body of a man who has been missing since he leaped from a bridge in Hamilton last Thursday.

Hamilton police are appealing for help in identifying a limping man who leapt from a bridge into the Waikato River today.

Christchurch's Boxing Day aftershocks and the recent wet weather have seen more than 1000 claims lodged with the Earthquake Commission.

Nick Smith has called for NZ to improve its fresh water management after a report found almost a third of lakes have poor water quality.

Access to one of NZ's top fishing rivers has been closed - upsetting local tourism operators and anglers throughout the country.

A surly swan is terrorising a stretch of Nelson's Maitai River - chasing kids, harassing a woman with a pram and having a hissy fit at a kayaker.

A 54-year-old NZ army veteran involved in an eleven-hour standoff with Brisbane police has been seen dousing his yacht with liquid from a jerry can.

A 54-year-old New Zealand army veteran is at the centre of a standoff with police in Brisbane, causing parts of the CBD to be put into lockdown.

Britain's most famous waterway is smelling sweeter these days.