Heavy rain is expected to drench the South Island tomorrow and then make its way up the country - possibly hitting the Whanganui and Taranaki region hard.

The driver of a truck has been pulled out of the cab uninjured after colliding with a train.

Two decades after police witness Christopher Crean was shot dead at his New Plymouth home, the gang boss who ordered his murder is to be released.

Between 20 and 25 families remain stranded on their South Taranaki farms, while many roads remain closed throughout flood damaged areas.

Red Cross is launching an appeal to help those affected by the weekend's floods - a disaster the organisation has labelled the worst to strike New Zealand since the Canterbury earthquakes.

The state of emergency has remained in place for Whanganui and Taranaki three days after flooding caused evacuations, slips, road closures and power cuts.

A Taranaki grandmother says she was shoved to the ground and handcuffed by police after she objected to being evacuated due to flooding.

Millions of dollars in Government relief will be pumped into the flood-ravaged lower North Island, as authorities warn it could take weeks to clean up.

Three men have been charged over the death of a woman who got out of her car to move metal barriers blocking a state highway.

A man with a mouth "like an open sewer" who drove his neighbours off their rural block says he spends too much time driving to do community work.

Wild weather causes extensive damage in Taranaki and the storm is due to hit Auckland later this morning. See photos of the impact inside.

This South Taranaki town has some top-notch dining and several great museums.

Greymouth Petroleum's former chief operating officer and his company have been ordered to pay almost $780,000 to the oil and gas firm for negligence associated with a fracking operation and a seismic survey programme in Taranaki.

One person is believed to have died following a two-car collision in south Taranaki today.

Pack up the kids and head to the 'Naki, urges Rob Cox, but, he warns, you may have to eat humble pie when you see its glories.

The death of a baby girl in Taranaki today may have been been a tragic accident caused by a falling household object.

Taranaki police have again spent the early hours of the morning coming to the aid of staggering residents who gave them a prickly welcome.

"They're everywhere. Any food you have, you absolutely have to keep it in the fridge. It's out of control and everyone is so sick of these ants."

One person is dead after a car collided with an Intercity bus at Awakino in Taranaki today.

At least 25 men and a digger were used to save a man whose 4WD flipped during a race meeting in Taranaki, trapping him under water.