Yoshimi Okazaki lost her home and job in the Christchurch quake. Now her loved ones are missing in the devastating Japanese quake and tsunami.

Chinese parents who lost their only child in last month's Christchurch earthquake will not be getting special compensation, Prime Minister John Key says.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says the thoughts of his quake-stricken city are with Japan following Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake which devastated much of the country and left thousands dead.

More than half a million people have been forced from their homes in quake and tsunami-hit northern Japan, petrol has run dry and supermarkets are empty in what its prime minister says is the worst crisis to hit Japan since WWII.

The mothers of two former All Blacks based in Japan feared the worst when Friday's deadly earthquake and tsunami hit.

Japanese officials warned of a possible second explosion at a nuclear plant crippled by the earthquake and tsunami as they raced to stave off multiple reactor meltdowns, but they provided few details about whether they were making progress.

Three nuclear power plants in Japan have suffered failure, with a top Government official warning a meltdown at one of the plants was "highly possible". Over 10,000 people are thought to be missing as officials fight to avoid a catastrope

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The Robinson family of Nelson breathed a huge sigh of relief this morning when they finally reached their daughter in Japan.

Recent events have many asking what science is doing to forewarn us of major earthquakes.

All but "a few" New Zealanders registered as living in northeast Japan have been located.

New Zealand is one of the first countries to respond to a call for help from Japan.

A young New Zealander who died in Thailand last month had a highly infectious virus which can spark the heart condition which killed her, tests show.